


Not everything is Black and White. Some are simply Gray.

by Brittrbrashear



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dark but not Evil Harry Potter, Drarry, Dumbledore Bashing, F/F, F/M, Good Draco Malfoy, M/M, Manipulative Dumbledore, Mild Ron Weasley Bashing, POV Multiple, Slash, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-05-10 20:06:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 26,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5599144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brittrbrashear/pseuds/Brittrbrashear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In spite of popular opinions, Draco and Harry are not clones of their fathers. Neither falls into the perfectly designed categories of Light and Dark. Can they find the truth and each other somewhere in the Gray?</p><p>Rating is currently Teen for Swearing, but i am leaving it at Mature, as this will become more graphic.</p><p>Follow me on Tumblr- Brittrbrashear</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **** All rights to the Harry Potter characters, storylines, everything really, Belongs to J.K. Rowling. I simply adore her characters, and enjoy writing fan fictions. I make no profit from my writing.*****

The summer before my Sixth year has been pure shite so far, and I've only been home for a month. Since the ministry debacle, there was no denying where the “Malfoy Loyalties” lay. Or, at least, so they thought. Contrary to popular belief, Mother and I do not support the Dark Lord. We do not support all the actions of the Pureblood supremacists, and we are not Death Eaters.

Sure, the fact that wizards are having children with muggles is diluting our blood. I wouldn't mind that at all, except, it seems that many of these pairs have squibs. But the incoming muggleborns should make up for that. Unless, they manage to get themselves killed. Or leave the community like most do. So no, I don't necessarily believe that Purebloods are better than muggleborns. But I do believe that they should be introduced to the Wizarding society before they arrive at school. That way, they know what they are getting into, and they don't hold the rest of us back.

But I can't exactly flaunt that. See, the basis of being a Slytherin, and growing up in a Slytherin family, is knowing that you are stronger united. For so many years, I've kept my thoughts, my opinions, my beliefs to myself, only sharing them with Mother on occasion. She usually understands, but Lucius.... I shiver to think what he would say if he knew that I don't believe the ravings of a Madman. That I do not, not now or ever, intend to follow in his footsteps. I do not intend to kiss the feet of half blood parading as a pureblood with no true purpose behind his actions except for murder and power.

I don't understand why Mother insists that we visit him. He's deranged, and has been since Voldemort returned. Not that I would call him that in public, but in the solitude of my mind, he doesn't deserve the honorary title of “The Dark Lord”. Somewhere along the way, Lucius stopped being Father in my mind. Gone was the man who danced down the hallways with Mother, singing some song only he knew. Gone was the man who smiles at us from the picture frames. He stopped bringing home presents and started bringing home whores. He stopped drinking fine wine from the cellar and started stumbling home drunk from bars. Somewhere along the way, Lucius lost himself, and with his insanity seated in the beliefs of a madman, there was no way to save him.

So instead, Mother and I are walking the halls of this hell hole on the simple “good will” of the Aurors. Our wands were taken away the second we reached the island where Azkaban is situated. If they wanted, they could drop their patronus' and run, leaving us for a fate worse than death. We were led into a reinforced room where we were assured the Dementors couldn't reach us. The room was cold, colder than the dungeons of Hogwarts in winter. I knew the Dementors must be waiting on the other side of the wall.

We waited about ten minutes before they hauled Lucius in, and he immediately collapsed against the wall, arms wrapped tightly around his middle. His eyes, which locked on my face, were haunted, his face gaunt, and his skin looked like paper. I felt a twinge of sympathy for the man that used to be before I remembered that he didn't exist anymore. I stared at him from my place, leaning against the opposite wall, as Mother rushed over to him, holding his thin face in her hands, asking him if he was alright, while he stared back at her blankly, no trace of recognition. His eyes darted back to me.

He shoved Mother aside as he stood up, and I struggled to hide my wince. It would do no good to go to her, as she was already straightening herself up again. But now, the warmth that usually shown bright in her eyes was gone, replaced with an icy coolness and barely concealed disdain. She had loved him through his infidelity, through his lies and madness. She always believed he could be saved, but it seemed that less than two minutes into this visit, she had finally realized there was nothing left of the man she loved. The man we both loved.

“Draco, my son.” His voice rasped, rough from what I hoped was disuse, rather than screaming himself hoarse. He held my face with one hand, his other on my shoulder to balance himself. Up close, he reeked, and I knew he hadn't kept up with his hygiene. Few did in Azkaban, once the Dementors advanced their madness. I watched him, keeping my face carefully blank, my eyes emotionless. I had perfected that mask at age nine. Only at fourteen did I start using it on him. Just over a year later, he could no longer read my thoughts beneath its perfection.

“Lucius.” He recoiled at his name, eyes widening in shock, but he didn't bother to reprimand my disrespect.

“Draco, you must know what is coming.” His eyes shot nervously to the door, and he dropped his voice. “There have been rumors, and some information that got back to me. The Dark Lord had decided to give you the Mark a year early. He is bestowing you with a great honor.” Draco saw his mother stiffen from the corner of his eyes, but ignored it, focusing on Lucius' rough speak instead. He couldn't afford to drop his front now, to lose his head. “You will serve in my stead. You... You will be greater than even me. You take the mark on July First. You will do us all proud. You will uphold the Malfoy name. The family honor.”

His grey eyes had gone glassy, as if he was looking at me, but couldn't really see me. He was lost in his own illusions, lost in his fantasies. Meanwhile, my face struggled to stay blank. Fear curled deep within my stomach. That mark was binding until Death. There was no escape. I couldn't take it. I wouldn't. No Malfoy would be content to serve at another mans feet. My eyes darted to mother, who's face was set with a steely determination. She had a plan, thank Salazar. I certainly didn't, as running would likely get me nowhere. I returned my attention to my father, who's hair hung like ropes around his face. “Yes, Father,” I said. A blatant lie, but he was so far lost to the madness that he wouldn't notice.

He grinned madly at me. “The best birthday gift I could arrange from here, even though it is late.  Go now, and prepare for the ceremony. It will take place in one week. Tell your mother I said hello.” He wandered back over to the wall and sat down, staring into space. It was all the confirmation I needed. He had truly, and utterly, lost it. He would never be the same, even if he did get out of Azkaban. Mother and I were free to behave as we wished. We knocked on the door, and the aurors returned. Two escorted Lucius back to his cell, while two others took us back to the boat before handing us our wands. We stayed in the bright light of their patronus', struggling to ignore the seeping cold around us.

When we reached the mainland, Mother stopped. “Could you send two aurors to Malfoy Manor please? I believe we have several artifacts that once belonged to Lucius that he will no longer require.”  
They each raised an eyebrow but agreed, and sent of several Patronuses before mother took my arm, apparating us away. The gates opened while her heels clacked on the cobblestones. The large double doors opened for us, her footsteps echoing along the marble floors of the Manor. “Filly!”

Crack! Mothers personal elf appeared before her. “How can Filly help Miistress Cissy?”

“Filly, I need you to summon the elves. All of them, from every property. I want them here in two minutes.”

The little elf squeaked out a “Yes, Miss Cissy!” before disappearing. A crack announced the arrival of each elf in turn, and one by one they bowed. I saw Mipsy among the crowd, my personal elf, and smiled at her. Her mouth stretched as she returned my smile, her large ears curled forward. She had always been good to me. Last to arrive was Lopsy, Lucius' elf. Mother demanded he come front and center.

“Mistress Cissy has no control of Lopsy.” I snorted. That elf had always been a bastard. His uniform was soiled, and his teeth looked to be rotted. He glowered at Mother, who simply smiled in return, folding her hands in front of her. Three sets of foot steps announced the Auror's arrival.

“No, Lopsy I do not. However, I do have control of my Manor in Lucius' stead. He is incarcerated, and Draco will not be claiming his heirship until he is seventeen, or I deem it necessary. Therefore, as a Manor elf, relegated to Lucius, you must obey my direct orders, and I give you my last command. You may speak of nothing about the Malfoy's, your masters, your guardians, your hirers. Anything in reference to us is not to cross your lips from this day forward, and that is an order. I deem you, Lopsy, a free elf.” She immediately summoned a sock and shoved it into his hands. “You no longer have access to our homes, properties, banks, kitchens, nothing with the name of Malfoy. I release you from the Malfoy Estate.” With a crack, the shocked looking elf was ejected from the property.

Several of the other elves cheered, while some looked on, shocked. Lucius may not have been kind to the elves, but he never sent them away. They quickly turned their attention back to Narcissa, who smiled at them. “Now, any elf who is not loyal to Myself and Draco may remove themselves from our estate and receive two galleons a week in pay directly from us, so long as you reveal nothing about us.. We do not need anyone here who remains Loyal to Lucius. Lucius is lost, and even if he comes back, he is no longer sane. He is not worthy of being a Malfoy.” No elf spoke up, thus choosing to stay in their service to our Family.

Filly sidled up to her mistress, patting her lightly on the arm. “What is being happening, Miss Cissy?”

I smiled. Mother had always been very kind to the elves, explaining as best she could what was happening so they knew what to expect. They may serve us, but they were like extended family. I listened as Mother did just that, explaining what had happened to Lucius, and why. The aurors seemed shocked by mothers kind treatment of her elves, but non of them did. I watched as one by one the elves drew themselves up, dedicating themselves to the future of the Malfoy family instead of it's shadowy past. Mother noticed too, and immediately set the elves to work.

“Mopsy, Filly, pack our belongings. We must make haste.” Our elves disappeared to do as bid. “Tiffy and Squeak, Please show these Kind Aurors to Lucius' private stores. Anything he has previously asked you to keep hidden. And yes, that is an order that directly counteracts his own. No, you may not punish yourselves.” The elves smiled at her graciously and led the men away. She sent several other elves to adjusting the wards, tuning the estates and cottages to Her and Her alone. Some were sent to watch Lopsy, and make sure he didn't interfere. Once they had all been sent away, I spoke.

“What are we doing, Mother?”

“We are doing what I should have done years ago. The Dark Lord is coming, Draco. And we will not be here to greet him.”

I rolled my eyes. “I gathered that much. Where are we going to go? He'll find us.”

“We're going to Dumbledore.”

My jaw dropped. None of us had really approved of Dumbledore. I mean, Potter and his friends had nearly died every year under the old coots watch. Why would we put our lives in his incompetent hands? “Why would we trust him with our safety?”

Mother looked at me blankly. “Would you rather fight opposite him and Harry in the war?”

Damn. She knew Harry was my weak point. She figured that out before I did. And she was right. How was I supposed to stand against The Harry Potter in war? How was I supposed to oppose the boy I was head over heels in love with? Sure, I had kept up the rivalry for years, but only because I had to to keep Lucius off my back. Lucius had told me early on that I was to make an impression on Harry. When I had failed to become his friend, I promised to be his most bitter enemy. Well, next to Voldemort himself.

And that had all worked well, until Fourth Year. I had been as shocked as anyone when his name came flying out of the Goblet of Fire. I watched from afar as his mood became more foul with each task he had to complete. I watched as his friendship with Ronald crumbled, and his closest friends turned their backs on him. Sure, I made those 'Potter Stinks' badges, but I made them with the hopes of distracting him some, and it seemed to work. We all watched with baited breath as he faced the Dragon, and swam with Merpeople.

When he came out of the maze, throwing the Cup aside and clutching the obviously dead body of Cedric Diggory, I wanted nothing more than to rush out and comfort him. No one else seemed to know what to do with him after that. The last year only proved that, as Harry had become more reclusive, less trusting, and more moody than ever. Though he would never know, I knew my way into the Room of Requirement. I led the Inquisitorial Squad of their trail several times, though I couldn't prevent their eventual discovery.

Yes, Mother knew she had won, as it was written plainly in the smirk she wore. I sighed and took my things from Mopsy. “Come with us to Hogwarts. You can work in the Kitchens and be a liason between us if needed.”

“Yes Master Draco.”

Without further ado, the aurors appeared. “We found several questionable items in the home, and they have been confiscated. You did not know their location?”

“If I had I would have escorted you myself, like a proper lady of the household. I knew where they were, as they are warded to keep use out. But they are also warded to keep us from telling anyone their locations. That's why Lucius always forced us to leave during a raid.”

The auror nodded. “It's not that uncommon, unfortunately. Thank you for turning these over. We will have them documented, and you may be needed to give a statement.”

“If so, then look for me at Hogwarts. If I am not there, I hope you find me before You-Know-Who does.”

The men gave her a grim nod before they left. Sure, we were disliked, but neither I nor my mother had done like Lucius and pissed off the entire Ministry. We are innocent, until we can proven Guilty. Which we won't be. As we turned and walked out of the entry hall, Mother broke and reset the Fidelus charm, setting Herself as the Secret Keeper. Even standing in my home, I couldn't remember it's name or address until she whispered it into my ear. Anyone who had previously been to our homes would no longer be able to find them, effectively shutting out the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. She smiled at me, and took my arm, apparating us to Hogsmede, where we quickly headed off towards the castle.


	2. Chapter 2

 

The summer before my Sixth year has been pure shite so far, and I've only been home fora month. If I could even call Number Four Privet Drive my home. Since the death of Sirius, I felt myself become even more withdrawn, barely replying to Ron and Hermione's letters. Hermione seems to understand, but Ron just seems angry. Angry that I'm not visiting. Angry that I'm not responding. Angry that I'm grieving.

It was my fault. All of it. Why had I trusted Kreacher? Kreacher of all beings. A hate-filled, vengeful elf. Why hadn't I thought of the Mirrors? If I had, he would be alive now. If I had, I may have been able to live in blissful ignorance, never knowing the Prophecy. If I had, Maybe I wouldn't be stuck with the Dursley's now.

Somehow, they had learned about Sirius' untimely death. I haven't managed to find out how, but they did. Gone was my last bit of security. Despite the fact that I had my wand, I couldn't use it, not after last years Dementor attack. Vernon seemed to think I had simply imagined the creature and attacked Dudley out of spite. They now knew that the Ministry would seek action against me, and thus knew I couldn't risk much magic. They knew that Sirius, who I had threatened them with, was dead. With nothing left to defend me from their rage, the past two weeks had been hell.

Most of my time was spent on chores, and as usual, I was barely fed. I had already lost twenty pounds from the physical activity, mostly yard work or scrubbing, lack of food, and running from Dudley's gang. In his anger, Vernon had even locked me in the closet once, until I managed a non verbal and blasted the door into splinters. My back still bled from the belting I got after that.

Since then, I had managed to stay out of sight, and out of trouble. Hedwig stayed out of the house during the day, only delivering my letters at night. I had already sent one to Dumbledore, begging him to get me out of here early, but as expected, it fell on deaf ears. He admitted to me that he had ignored me all of last year. Why would that change now?

I jumped when I heard the front door slam open, hitting the wall before slamming itself shut. “BOY!!! GET DOWN HERE!!!!” I glanced at the clock. It was eight p.m. If Vernon was only now getting home, he was sure to be drunk. I winced and continued to scrub the tub, calling over my shoulder. “The tub is almost done, and then I'll be down.” I knew it wouldn't work. No matter how much he wanted the tub cleaned, I would get in trouble for not coming down, and if I went down, I'd get in trouble for the dirty tub. It was a lose lose. Either way, I was sure to get a beating tonight.

Sure enough, heavy foot falls made their way up the stairs. Vernon was grumbling all the while. “You mean to tell my your chores aren't finished?”

“This is the last one.” Another lose lose. Damned if I answered, Damned if I didn't. He smelled like alcohol and sweat, a rather vile combination.

“That Filthy wizarding school coddles you freaks! Your chores should have been finished hours ago. No dinner tonight!” My head snapped forward, hitting the edge of the tub before he lifted my by the back of my tee shirt, dragging me down the hall and into my bedroom and slamming me into a wall. I struggled to keep my mouth shut. I really did try to bite back the sarcastic response on the tip of my tongue, and failed miserably.

“Wow, you were actually going to feed me tonight?” I struggled out as his hand bit deep into my throat, cutting off most of my air. “If I had known that, I may have tried harder.” I kept my voice carefully deadpan.

Vernon stopped moving. “What was that, Boy?”

“You heard me.”

“Looks who's gone and grown a back bone! But what are you gonna do about it? You can't use magic. You can't win in a fight against me, and your god father is dead. The no good bastard got what's coming to him, just like your father..”

Without a thought, my hand was on wand, and pressed against his neck. “Take it back.”

Vernon just laughed, and pressed his arm against my throat, pressing me back into the wall and lifting me off the floor. “Or what?”

Several curses flew to mind. The Cruiciatus was the first and foremost, but then I would definitely be in Azkaban. No, I couldn't use that. Instead, I settled for a Severing Curse. “Difin-” before I could complete the curse, intended to cut his arm just enough that I could breathe, my wand was plucked from my hand. I watched in horror as Vernon dropped it to the ground and stepped on it, snapping the holly wand into three pieces. Apparently, my shock was plain on my face. As usual.

“Not so tough now, are you?” His hand drew back before it buried into my side, breaking several ribs. The beating continued between insults. “You think,” -punch to the stomach- “anyone gives a Damn,” -knee to the groin- ” about you?” -back hand to my face-

His arm pulled away and I dropped to the floor, curling into the fetal position. I vaguely saw blood on the ground around me, but didn't really care as I struggled to remain conscious. “No one could care about a freak like you. Why else would they keep sending you back here??” with two swift kicks to my stomach, Vernon left, panting as he struggled to regain his breath before I heard him stumble back down the stairs.

I quickly took stock of my injuries. Concussion, several broken ribs, possible internal bleeding. Broken Nose? Likely. I'd really done it this time. Sure, I'd antagonized it. But this would have happened either way. If I hadn't answered, that would have been reason enough for the beating. He was drunk enough, and, well, Vernon enough, that he would have found a reason. I felt my vision begin to turn black and struggled back to the surface, summoning every ounce of magic I could reach and summoned a patronus.

“Tell....” I fell into a coughing fit, my windpipe badly bruised. “Tell Minerva McGonagall, that I need help.” I watched as the stag gave me a slight bow before gracefully leaping out of the room. When the last of it's warm glow faded, I slipped into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

I felt my hands shake as we climbed the steps to the Headmasters office. I only hoped that he would listen to us, and believe us, before condemning us to a life of running. Mother walked silently beside me, emanating her usual air of power and grace. When we stood before the Gargoyles, they let us in without a word, which took me by surprise. “He must have sensed us when we crossed the wards,” mother murmured, a slight frown on her face. We rode the stairs up until they stood before the double doors. “Enter!” we heard from within.

I took a brief moment to straighten up, and pull myself together, donning the blank mask I had worn for years here as mother pushed aside the doors. We walked side by side to the Headmaster's desk. Beside him sat Professor McGonagall, politely sipping on her tea. “I hope we haven't interrupted anything,” I ventured.

“Of course not, Mr. Malfoy, though I must say, this visit is highly unexpected. To what do I owe the pleasure of the Malfoy's?” Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at them, but he felt no prying at his occlumency shields. The old Headmaster inclined his head to each of them before folding his hands in front of him.

“We apologize for our sudden arrival, but there was no time for a warning. We have just left Azkaban, from a visit with Lucius. There is no more time for Malfoy Secrecy. There is no more time for following my insane husband. He intends for Draco to be marked in a weeks time, and I simply cannot allow that to happen.” Mother seemed to watch them both carefully as they weighed her words.

“Why would Draco not wish to receive the Mark? Surely, he will do as he always has and follow his Father's wishes.” McGonagall glared at the man, but said nothing.

I couldn't hold back my snort. “That man hasn't been my father for over two years now. He is sick, sick in the mind, and I would be a fool to follow him or Voldemort.”

That seemed to take them both aback. “You dare to speak his name?” McGonagall asked, her voice awed. “So few do.”

“Fear of a name only breeds fear of the thing itself. 'The Dark Lord' signals respect from one of his followers, and I have no respect for the man, nor will I follow him. 'You-Know-Who' simply sounds childish and ridiculous. No, Voldemort does not deserve my blatant fear or my respect.”

Dumbledore seemed impressed, if the slight arch in his brow was anything to go by. “I see. But how can we be clear that your intentions are truly on our side.”

I glanced at mother for a moment, silent understanding passing between us. “We will both testify under Veritaserum. If that cannot be procured, then we will agree to drop our occlumency shields for a review, so long as it is done properly, and no harm is caused.” Dumbledore nodded and stood, throwing floo powder into the fire and calling for Severus. A few minutes later, my god father stepped through the flames, two vials in hand, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“I see you have learned of your fathers plot, and found it lacking.”

“I see you did not deem it fit to warn me.”

“I was ordered not to do so.” I just nodded in understanding. I had learned early on the Severus was a spy, and managed to hide that fact from Lucius. Severus had been more of a Father to me than Lucius had in recent years. His hair was as greasy as ever, obviously not getting the hint from the hair products I bought him yearly for Christmas.

“Yes, well, Severus, if you will administer the Veritaserum, then we can-” Dumbledore cut off as the vibrant light of a patronus filled the room. The great stag strode right up to McGonagall, bowing before her as Harry's strangled voice filled the room. “Tell....” his voice was rough, and loud coughing soon filled the room. My heart clenched as Harry struggled for breath. “Tell Minerva McGonagall, that I need help.” Message delivered, the stag faded away.

I thought I saw a brief flash of rage across Dumbledore's face, before it was replaced with a serene calm. Surely I had misinterpreted it. Minerva looked white as a sheet, and Severus had frozen in place, staring into the air where the stag had vanished. Dumbledore sighed, watching me and mother. “I apologize for this.”

Hands clawed at my occlumency shields before I could even process his words. Dumbledore forced his way into my mind, shoving my control down and pillaging what he wanted from our minds. I winced in pain as memory after memory was torn from my mind, riffled through and left in disarray. It felt like my mind was on overload as several things I found to be inconsequential passed before my eyes so quickly it made my head spin. The longer he went, the more painful it became until I was shaking from sheer shock and pain. In the distance, I vaguely heard Severus and McGonagall shouting at him, but it made no difference.

After what felt like hours, but was probably less than a minute, he withdrew, and I scrambled to throw my shields up. As I dropped to my knees. My head pounded with a burning headache, and I rubbed my forehead. I heard mother snarl beside me, but it was disjointed, the words barely making sense in my frazzled mind. “That is no way to treat a guest! We agreed to questioning, and to dropping our shields. Why would you assault us so?”

“Because Harry is in Danger, and I do not have time for your questioning.” Dumbledore snapped back, looking less like fragile old man. I cringed, and was glad when Severus stepped between myself and the headmaster.

“You had permission, Albus. You could have gained the information you needed gently in less time, without ransacking their minds. You may have done permanent Damage, Albus. By law, they can file against you. I would.”

“It matters not, as it is now in the past. They are safe, and deemed fit to join the order. Let us be off.”

“I think not!!” McGonagall shouted. “You have ransacked their minds. Harry can wait a moment.” She summoned several potions and handed them to Snape, who gave her a grimace. Draco had just enough presence of mind to file that away for later, as that particular grimace was the mans equivalent to a grateful smile. He handed them the potions. “These will help,” he said.

As he took his potion, not bothering to ask what it was, as he trusted Severus implicitly, he was aware of McGonagall shouting at Dumbledore, claiming she had never seen him behave as recklessly as he had of late. Once the potion took effect, the strain of the headache vanished and I could focus better, but my mind still felt as if it was bleeding. I stood up, and forced myself to focus as my mind continued to mend. “Since you have so arrogantly entered their minds, they deserve to come with us. If you deemed Harry so important that you found it suitable to mentally rape them, then they will accompany us.” I watched as Dumbledore tried to argue, but the old man had turned away, and couldn't see the look that passed between Snape and McGonagall. Severus took Mother's arm, and McGonagall took mine, twisting on the spot. As deputy Headmistress, it seemed she could cue them in to the wards, and did so, allowing them to apparate away.

We landed on an incredibly plain, muggle-looking street. I staggered a bit, but quickly regained my footing, and trotted off after my mother and Professors. We were half way down the street before a faint pop told us that Dumbledore had arrived at the apparition point. By that point, McGonagall and Snape had their wands drawn, pointed at the door of house number four, and I scrambled to do the same. With a whispered 'alohamora', Severus pushed the door open.

All of the lights were on in the muggle home, and I heard disjointed voices coming from what must be the sitting room. Severus glided forward, heading for the kitchen while McGonagall went to the sitting room. As mother followed the Deputy Headmistress, I followed my godfather, glancing at the pictured of a rather pudgy boy on the wall. Though I had no idea where we were or why, I was sure that it was about Harry, simply by their stance and behavior. Severus slammed the kitchen door open, and inside, a woman with a horse face stood screaming. “Hello, Petunia. It has been too long.” His lips twisted into a smirk.

The woman gaped. She was rather plain, and seemed to recognize Snape. The walls were an atrocious yellow, and there were ar to many flowers in the room and on her clothing. “Snape? Severus Snape? What do you want?” I felt an eyebrow arch. How did this woman know Severus?

“We received a distress signal from your Nephew. Surely you didn't think we would abandon Lily's son to you muggles.” Ah. Snape and Lily again. Harry's muggle family. The ones that supposedly treated him like a King. But if we were here, and that patronus was real, was that really true?

“I don't know what happened. Vernon is stark drunk. He won't let us upstairs.”

Severus sneered. “Draco, Go find Potter. Second bedroom on the right, if I recall.” I nodded and took off, ignoring the shouting from the sitting room. Bounding up the stairs, I came face to face with the boy who resembled a mixture of a pig and a boulder that I had seen in the photographs. He was muttering about the 'filthy freaks' in his house. I stunned him and jumped over his body and let myself into the second bedroom, only to shout in horror at what I found.

Harry lay curled up in the fetal position, a puddle of blood staining the dingy carpet beneath him. His clothes were bleached and tattered, but bloodstains marked his back. His face was much thinner than it had been two weeks ago. Blood ran from his nose and forehead, and his arm was wrapped protectively around his middle. I rushed forward and knelt beside him, pressing my hand to the gash on his forehead to staunch the bleeding.

It seemed like my shout had broken the fighting among the others, as several pairs of footsteps came bounding up the stairs. The muggles were still screaming at them from the first floor as the others rushed to my side. With a gasp, McGonagall apparated away, and I hoped to whatever gods there may be that she brought back Madam Pomfrey. Severus drew several vials from his robes, which I recognized as Blood Replenishing and Dreamless Sleep potions. He carefully administered them to Harry while mother began to heal several of his visible wounds. We were all oblivious to Dumbledore, who stood in a corner, glowering, before he stormed downstairs and cast silencing charms on the muggles.

Thankfully, McGonagall returned with Pomfrey, who shooed us out of the way. I glared at her and refused to move and she sighed, and began casting diagnostic charms.“How bad is it, Poppy?” McGonagall asked.

“Could be worse, if these two hadn't started working on him. He has seven broken ribs, and a punctured lung, bruising to his windpipe, and a severe concussion. He has several lacerations on his back that appear to be at least a weak old and match the patterns I've seen of whippings, which explains the scars I've seen previously. He seems to have lost at least twenty pounds in the past two weeks, and is already thinner than he usually is when he arrives for fall term.”

Severus rolled his eyes. “Of course he is, as Molly hasn't had a chance to fatten him up again. I have been telling you for years that he should not have been left with a hateful bint like Petunia.”

I startled at the strength of Severus' hate for the muggle woman, but all the while, my eyes never left Harry's face. He had already gained his summer tan, but he was considerably underweight. His eyes fluttered beneath their lids and his breathing was hoarse. I slid my hand into his, Ignoring the scowl from Severus and the questioning looks from McGonagall and Pomfrey.

The medi witch began her duties, healing Harry's ribs first. It took a while to set then heal them with magic, as she had to do them each individually. Once they were firmly in place, she healed the punctured lung, and the cuts to his face, head and back. She then removed the bruising, and the concision. Finished, she sat back on her heels. I saw that Dumbledore had returned at some point, and was watching them carefully. “How is he, Poppy?”

“He would be better if you would quit sending him here, Albus.” She levitated him up carefully so that She held his feet while McGonagall held his head. They began walking towards the door, obviously intent on leaving. Dumbledore clucked his tongue and shook his head. “He must stay here for four more weeks to ensure the strength of the blood wards.”

For the second time that day, I watched as McGonagall wheeled around to face him, fighting mad. “Absolutely not, Albus! I have accepted and followed your advice and guidance of Harry for almost six years. I have sent him back to what is obviously an abusive household each summer, on YOUR recommendation. But as his Head of House, it is MY job to decided if his home is unfit. You have forbidden my visits for years, and falsely assured his safety. He is coming home, to Hogwarts. End of story.” I watched silently as they stared each other down, and noticed the aura of power surrounding the Deputy Headmistress. I decided to file that away for later when Madam Pomfrey spoke up.

“He must come back, Albus, or he will surely die here. They broke his wand, and have you seen the size of these people? He stands no chance here.”

The Headmaster appeared to glower, but relented. “As you wish, ladies. Please take Harry back to Hogwarts. Severus, show Draco and Narcissa to their quarters. I will have his belongings taken to his quarters.”

I shared a glance with my mother. Something was seriously wrong with the Headmaster, and we both saw it. I had a brief moment to be thankful that we had not taken oaths before Severus apparated us away. We landed in his office, and I immediately rounded on him. “Why does McGonagall have that much power? I could see it. It looked like Hogwarts Magic.”

Severus sighed. “McGonagall has been gaining more and more magical support from Hogwarts over the past few years, but in the past few months, the increase has been dramatic. It seems that the school no longer wishes for Albus to be the Headmaster. Her power over the school almost rivals his own. Something is amiss, but until I know more, I will not share my suspicions.” Severus turned and walked them down the halls of the dungeons, stopping before a portrait of Morgana le Fey. “Narcissa, you will be staying here. Morgana will have you set a password once you are inside.” Mother nodded and lightly kissed my cheek before ducking into the room. I followed Snape to the Dorms, stopping before the blank space of wall. “Serpentis,” he said, and the door opened wide. “You are to stay in your prefects quarters. If you need me, you know where to find me. Potter will be out until tomorrow at least. You need rest to heal your mind.”

I sighed, as he had anticipated my questions. It seemed like I was becoming too predictable. I nodded, and headed in, taking the small staircase on the side up to my quarters. Not for the first time, I was thankful that the Slytherin Prefects got our own rooms. I expanded my trunk and spelled my belongings to their proper places before laying down and the bed, fully clothed, and falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

As I heard the last pops of my faculty and guests disapparating, I allowed my mask to fall. I knew well enough that the anger was plain to see as I summoned Harry's belongings, noting his hiding place below the floorboards, and stormed down the stairs. I walked into the sitting room where I was met with an angry family, who were all silenced and bound. I released the spells on them and by some miracle, the idiots managed to remain silent.

“You have cost me dearly today, Vernon,” My voice full of venom. I knew that the carefully placed twinkle was not in my eye as I glared at the pig of a man. No longer would I have a reason for keeping Harry under my thumb. No longer could his abuse help dampen his magic. My own magic was fading, though I couldn't figure out why. This was all coming to soon. None of this was supposed to happen, and now, I have to deal with the Malfoy's in the thick of it. I grinned at the memory of their shocked and scattered minds. That was my specialty after all, mind breaking.

“You're still paying us for the summer.” The man said, before turning purple when I laughed.

“You have beaten the boy to near death, and he has been in you possession no longer than two weeks. You will get nothing,” a feral grin tore across my face as my wand pointed at them. “Obliviate!” I carefully removed every trace, every memory, every reminder of Harry from their minds, and found where the pig-man had hidden the galleons I had given him for the past fifteen years. I summoned them to me, sliding them into my pocket before leaving the house. “Incindio!”

I watched for a brief moment as the house went up in flames. Sure, they could escape. But I highly doubted it. Even if they did, what would muggles like this do without their perfect home and cherished possessions. It seemed fitting. When I landed in my office, Fawkes gave a low cry. Bloody bird should have burned days ago, but seemed to be clinging to this cycle. I summoned Dobby and gave him Harry's belongings to place in the tower before I began pacing.

“Why? Why now? Twenty five years of careful planning will be destroyed because of tonight. I can't obliviate them. Being this close to Harry would break the spell before it could set. How do I stop this.....” I continued to pace, unaware of the only set of ears around to listen. “Perhaps... perhaps not all is lost. With Harry here, I can place the spell more often. Yes, that will surely prevent this. And I can watch the Malfoy brat, and ensure he goes crawling back to his side of the war. Yes... that just might work......”


	5. So long, Alan Rickman.

No, this isn't a chapter of any great importance, but it is my solemn farewell. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried today upon hearing that Alan Rickman has passed. While I've seen him in a few other movies, I think to all of us, he will forever be Severus Snape. May he Rest in Paradise.


	6. Chapter 6

I kept my eyes closed when I woke, determined to take stock of the situation. My body felt fine, though I couldn't have imagined such a beating, or the pain of it. The sterile smell of the infirmary hit my nose and I relaxed. Home. I'm at Hogwarts.

Next, I noticed a hand in mine, which gave a gentle squeeze. I startled, and sat up, slamming my glasses onto my face to find McGonagall at my bedside, grasping my hand. Her head was bowed, and her bun was looser than usual. “Professor?” She stayed like that for a while before tilting her head up to look at me. Silent tears marked her cheeks, and her eyes were rather red. I felt like something inside of me broke to see her looking so sad and defeated.

“Harry. There is much we need to discuss, but first off, I owe you an apology. I never should have listened to Albus. I always believed him when he said you were safe with those muggles, even though all signs indicated that you were not. I have condemned you to years of suffering, and for that, I am so sorry. You did not deserve it.”

“It wasn't your fault professor, it was Dumbledore's. I've asked him countless times to be removed from them, and he always refused.”

Her face seemed to harden, her resolve set. “And he never bothered to tell you that that was my decision to make, not his? As your Head of House, it is up to me to decide if a muggle family is fit to stay with. If I had known, I would have removed you from them immediately.” I could feel her anger, and I felt the walls of the castle begin to shake. I glanced around, startled. That wasn't my magic. Beside me McGonagall straightened and sighed. “I have suspected that something was amiss for a while now. Harry, please know that anything you say here will be in confidence, as there is much we must discuss openly. Firstly being that Hogwarts has begun to transfer her power from Albus to me. I'm sure you have heard from Ms. Granger or Ms. Lovegood that Hogwarts is alive, but what few know is that it is She who decides when the next Headmaster will take over. Albus has commented several times that his power feels weaker, but he does not realize that that is because Hogwarts has given me more than half of the Headmasters power. For all intents and purposes, I can override any decision he makes if I choose to show my hand. It is only a matter of time before the school ejects him entirely.”

“However, I do not want it to do so. Something has changed in Albus. He has become more manipulating than ever. When your patronus arrived yesterday, we were in a meeting with Narcissa and Draco Malfoy, who were seeking refuge from Voldemort and wished to help our side. Upon the arrival of your patronus, instead of administering the Veritaserum as planned, or even doing as they had agreed and investigating them gently, he raided their minds. He used Legillimency against them and pulled the answers from them, damaging them both. In his right mind, Albus never would have done that. Once they were in the right frame of mind, the four of us plus Severus came to get you out.”

I held back a groan. Of course it would be Malfoy who happened along while I was in such a state. Oh well. Can't go back. McGonagall continued. “Between myself, Severus, Narcissa, Draco and Poppy, who I fetched immediately, we were able to get you out safely, but Albus remained behind. I sensed his magic when he returned, and it was rather malevolent. I don't know what is happening to him, but I believe he is less of a danger here, where he must keep up his appearances, than he is loose on the world. All of the staff has been informed. Even Hagrid has noticed the change. In short Harry, you cannot trust Albus Dumbledore. Not anymore.”

I stared at her, less than shocked, and snorted. “He ignored me all year when I needed his guidance most and in doing so, helped me lead Sirius to his death. There is no way I could have trusted him, Professor. I haven't since my trial last year.”

She gave me a faint smile. “Do not blame yourself for his death Harry, he would not want you to.”

I folded my arms across my chest and waited. I didn't want to talk about this now. “What else?”

She sat back and observed me. “Two summers ago, Albus told me you denied your heirship until you were eighteen. Is that correct?”

“My what?”

McGonagall shook her head. “As the heir to the Potter homes and fortune, you could have accepted your fathers role as Head of House at fourteen, since he is deceased. I guess it's safe to assume that Dumbledore never told you and maintained control of your accounts. I will set up a meeting for you with Griphook, your parents banker, and he will help you set things right. You should also inherit the Black properties from Sirius as well.”

Severus appeared behind her, seemingly out of nowhere. He must have been disillusioned. “And I will resume teaching you occlumency. After the attack, Draco needs assistance as well. I will begin training you both tomorrow, and I will train you here.”

I scowled. “Do you really think that's a good idea? It didn't work last year, and Draco and I have never gotten along.”

McGonagall answered. “I think you will find that Draco has changed much from the boy you remember. He no longer has the pressures of pleasing his father on his shoulders. I think you will find him to be a good ally, if not a friend.”

“And I believe, that you will have more motivation this year, as it will not just be The Dark Lord trying to break into your mind, but it could be Dumbledore as well.”

I scowled and thought, before nodding my head in agreement, ignoring the pain that brought. Actually, I ignored the sheer exhaustion in my entire body, but that was a different matter. “How can we speak so freely here? Even with less of the castle's magic, surely he can still hear.”

“Severus, Poppy, and I have managed to completely seal Albus out of the Infirmary. This will remain a safe place, and others will be added as we have the power to do so. All of the teachers offices are safe as well, except for his own and Trelawney's, as she is simply too unpredictable. She is the only teacher left in the dark.”

I nodded. It was a lot to take in, and I felt drowsy already. “Rest, Potter. The Dreamless Sleep is still in your system. Draco and I will be by in the morning to begin your practice at ten.” I nodded and settled down into the pillows, setting my glasses on the side table and immediately fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"If I smile and don't believe  
Soon I know I'll wake from this dream  
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken  
Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide  
Don't cry

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping  
Hello, I'm still here  
All that's left of yesterday"

  
Hello by Evanescence

 

 

While my mind was fully functional again, my occlumency shields felt weaker than they ever had before. Severus had summoned me early, and I had dressed rather casually in black slacks and a gray tee shirt that brought out my eyes. Though, maybe that wasn't a good thing, since eye contact is key to legillimency. Whatever, I was already half way to the infirmary, levitating several trays of breakfast food. Severus had already explained the situation to me, and I had to admit, I was rather excited for occlumency lessons with Harry.

Or rather, I was more excited than I really ought to be. Sure, I had a huge crush on the guy, but he was straight. It didn't really matter how I felt towards Harry, because he would never be able to return that feeling. And even if he was gay, why would he want to be with me? I'd been a prat to him for the last five years. He had no reason to even speak to me outside of these lessons. And if by some miracle he was interested in me, I certainly wouldn't be the one to make a move. Emotions had never been my strong suit. No, if something were to happen between us, it would be up to Harry.

When the doors opened, we found Harry sitting up on the bed farthest from the doors. He was wearing a loose fitting pair of jeans and one of his over sized sweaters knit by Mrs. Weasley, a large 'H' on the front. The green brought out his eyes well, and the black 'H' made his hair seem even more tousled. He watched us behind his glasses, his eyes guarded. His knees were drawn up to his chest.

Beside him sat a slight form in shabby clothing. Remus Lupin observed us with amber eyes, his gaze lingering on Snape before snapping back to examine Harry, who looked as if he wanted to shrink in on himself. Lupin laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, which Harry promptly shrugged off before addressing Severus. “Professor, how are we to do this when I haven't got a wand? I won't be going to Diagon until the weekend.”

“While Lupin is here for a social visit, I was under the impression that he brought something with him.” The man in question scowled at Snape and dug around in his coat pocket before sitting down across from Harry on the bed. He held a long thin box in his hand. A wand box, which Harry's eyes tracked with rapt attention. He opened it gently and gazed at it's contents.

“When...” His voice broke, and his eyes seemed to fill with tears. “When Sirius went to Godric's Hollow, he argued with Hagrid for custody of you. However, Albus had already insisted you be taken to the Dursley's, and Sirius wouldn't jeopardize Hagrid's friendship by fighting with him. Before he left the house, your house, he took these with them, and owled them to me, with a letter informing me that he was going after Peter, and a few other letters from your mother.”

The man withdrew two scorched wands, and laid them side by side on the bed. He pointed to the longer, darker wand. “Thirteen and a quarter inches, Yew, and Dragon Heartstring. James' wand. Suited best for Transfiguration.” He turned his attention to the smaller, more delicate wand. “And Lily's. Ten and a half inches, Rowan, and Unicorn Hair. Best suited for Charms. I doubt either will be a perfect match, but they are rightfully yours, and should work in the meantime. Lastly....” The man reached into his pockets once more, and removed a wand that seemed to be in pristine condition, though Harry's eyes widened.

“Sirius' wand. Also yours, as you are the named heir in his will. Fourteen and a half inches, Hawthorne wood, and Phoenix feather. Best used for Defense.” I looked on in silence, observing the tears that now filled Harry's eyes, though it was obvious he dared not let them fall in front of us. Where he had stared at his parents wands in stunned silence, he immediately reached for the wand Lupin now held. The man smiled in what looked to be silent understanding as Harry took the wand. He began to cast several spells, many of them nonverbally, which took me by surprise, but the wand seemed to respond well to him. He tested the other two, and carefully returned them to the box, before vanishing them, likely to his room.

“Thank you, Remus.” His voice was rough from unshed tears, and it was clear that the words were genuine. The werewolf only nodded and patted his shoulder before returning to his chair, and glaring down Severus.

“I trust that you will take better care of him this time than you have in the past?”

“I did what was necessary for appearance sake. Things have changed, and that appearance is no longer necessary.”

“Your 'appearances' cost the life of the last best friend I had, and if I understand correctly, it cost James and Lily their lives as well.” Beside me Severus flinched. “You would do well to remember that you are playing with fire Severus. I don't trust you alone in guiding Harry, therefore, I will be attending these little lessons until I deem otherwise. Minerva agrees.” Harry visibly relaxed at that, and I couldn't help but wonder what had gone so wrong in their lessons. Severus was an excellent teacher. With the lull in conversation, I flicked my wand, sending the tray to rest lightly in Harry's lap. He glanced at me.

“It isn't poisoned, is it?”

I rolled my eyes. “Honestly, Potter. If I wanted to do you in, you'd be gone by now. And I wouldn't resort to something as messy and traceable as a poison. Too much blood. No, my methods would be much more subtle.”

He eyed me, as if unsure he could believe me. Remus leaned over and sniffed at it. “It's clean, pup. Eat. You need it.” I snorted and sent the other tray to the werewolf, who immediately began to eat. Severus and I sat on a spare bed and ate as well before beginning the lesson.

“After watching you both over the years, I believe it best if we put you against each other. You're both competitive to a fault, and I believe you will both excel this way.” I glared at him. Before, I would have trusted my occlumency shields implicitly. Harry would have had no chance. But now... no. I didn't want him in my mind. That was motivation enough. Harry's grimace led me to believe he had come to the same conclusion. Perhaps Severus was on to something.

Harry sat on his cot, and I moved to the one beside him, where we stared at each other blandly. Only years of training kept my face blank as my heart skipped a beat. Those eyes had always enticed me, and drawn more emotion out of me than I liked to believe I had. I managed to hide my jump as a turn when Severus spoke. “You both know the drill. Empty your minds. Clear your emotions. Potter, you cast first. On three.”

Great. We are testing me first. I struggled to compartmentalize, shoving my errant thoughts into their homes at the back of my mind as Severus counted.

“One, two, three.”

Across from me, Harry's wand rose as he whispered, “Legillimens.” I felt his mind against my shields, struggling to get through. My barriers held for a moment in silent standoff before they began to crumble, and a slight smirk took his face. His mind brushed against mine and I forced him out with one great push before he could see anything. Beside me, Severus shook his head. “You must focus, Draco.”

“I know damn well that I must focus, Severus. Some of us aren't assaulted by Dumbledore or Voldemort on the daily.” The man rolled his eyes and began again.

“On three, Draco will cast.” I watched as Harry drew a deep breath, centering himself and closing his eyes for a brief moment. I took that moment to study his face, still thin and fragile; hollow looking. I grimaced, but when Severus reached three, green eyes met mine and I cast. “Legillimens.”

After overhearing what a disaster Harry and Severus' lessons had been, I was surprised by the strength of his shields. They felt like silk, smooth, hard to grasp, and hard to tear through. I focused in, searching for a weak point, and smirked when I found a slight tear in the fabric of Harry's mind. Forcing my way in, I caught a brief glimpse of Sirius Black, looking better cared for than his mugshot, and a bright flash of green before I was ejected from Harry's mind.

Beside me, Severus nodded. “I'm impressed, Potter. You held your own well, but you must not falter against the others.” Harry nodded, looking more determined. Our eyes met again, and his blazed with a new determination. I struggled to control my thoughts as Severus began to count us down again. I withdrew deep within myself and threw up the strongest walls I could muster. I began to recite an old scrap of poetry I remembered from my childhood. This time, the prying hands of Harry's mind glanced off, scrambling for purchase as he frowned, and withdrew.

“What did you do different this time? It was like I could hear you, but it made no sense.”

“Didn't Severus teach you the different techniques for blocking?”

“No.” Harry glared at the professor. “He spent five months telling me to empty my mind, control my thoughts, and assaulting them.”

I turned to look at Severus, who neither confirmed nor denied the accusation, which led me to believe it was true. I rolled my eyes at the stubborn man, who's jaw was set in a grim line, and looked back to Harry. “There are several ways to strengthen your walls. Some do so by imagining a certain material, like stone, or brick, or steel, surrounding their mind. Most of these have easy flaws to exploit. Some think of their mind as a flowing river, and redirect the intruding mind away back at themselves. Some people imagine a bubble around their mind that is impenetrable, though every shield has its faults. For some, it is advantageous to recite a song, or a piece of poetry, or even draw from a single happy memory, like you would with a patronus, that you don't mind someone seeing. This, along with whatever type of barrier you create, tends to be stronger than the barrier alone as it distracts the intruder. What you heard was simply a poem I'm fond of.”

Harry seemed to absorb this information, studying the folded hands in his lap as he thought. Remus, however, glared at Snape. “You thought to teach him occlumency, without teaching him anything?”

“There are several books that explain just that in the library. Had he bothered to read them and prepare as he would for any other lesson, this would not have been an issue.”

“Had you bothered to be a proper teacher, he shouldn't have had to-”

“How dare you insult my teaching skills. You can't even-” I tuned their bickering out. Something told me it would go on for a while. Across from me, Harry rolled his eyes before staring directly at me, and ticking off fingers in his lap. 1, 2, 3.

Obviously, he wanted to continue the lesson, as we cast at the same time, both struggling to enter each others mind. His shields were considerable stronger this time, and some strange song was playing in his mind. It must be muggle, because no wizarding music sounds like that. As we grappled at each others minds, each struggling for control, for dominance over the other, I was vaguely aware of Minerva breaking up the fight between the two grown men. We both ignored it, continuing our mental battle until a body stood between us, breaking our eye contact.

“Enough!” Minerva stated. I blinked at her dumbly and Harry looked back at her with a sickening amount of respect. Then again, that's probably how I looked at Severus, so who was I to comment? “You've been at it for over five minutes. That's enough training for today.” Recognizing the dismissal for what it was, I ignored the glowering professors and stood.

“Same time tomorrow, Potter?”

“Sure. I'll be here,” was his reply. I turned and left the infirmary, darting out onto the Quidditch Pitch. I summoned my broom from the shed, and immediately took to the air, trying to get rid of the green jewel tones that were burned into my vision and the haunting melody that played through my mind on repeat.


	8. Chapter 8

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,  
And sorry I could not travel both  
And be one traveler, long I stood  
And looked down one as far as I could  
To where it bent in the undergrowth;  
  
Then took the other, as just as fair,  
And having perhaps the better claim  
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,  
Though as for that the passing there  
Had worn them really about the same,  
  
And both that morning equally lay  
In leaves no step had trodden black.  
Oh, I kept the first for another day!  
Yet knowing how way leads on to way  
I doubted if I should ever come back.  
  
I shall be telling this with a sigh  
Somewhere ages and ages hence:  
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,  
I took the one less traveled by,  
And that has made all the difference.

~The Road not Taken by Robert Frost

 

 

 

I spent the rest of that day studying. Or, so I told myself. I wasn't thinking about Malfoy. Certainly not, that was just crazy. I never thought about Malfoy. I hadn't liked the guy for years, and I certainly wasn't any more excited that he had switched sides than anyone else would have been. I'm thankful that I had two less enemies to fight, and that I'm starting to learn Occlumency, but that was all.

The adults quickly cleared out after their lesson, leaving me to begin studying my books. Sure, we had two months until school started again, but I was to remain in the Infirmary until a set of rooms could be secured for, and then we wasn't allowed out on my own until they were sure that Dumbledore couldn't break through my occlumency walls. So, I did something I never thought I would find time for. I began studying for the animagus transformation. I had always wondered what my form would take, and since McGonagall had offered to bring me any books, I decided to study it at the least. She had grinned when she brought the book, simply telling me that she had found that drinking tea infused with mandrake leaves three times daily could be done instead of keeping a mandrake leaf in my mouth for a month. I had grinned back at her in return, and thanked her before she left.

Dobby had brought my meals, and had told me a bit about what had been going on in the castle. It seemed that all of the house elves and most of the portraits now answered to McGonagall, only responding to Albus because she had requested for them to do so. I swore I could feel the shift in the air, the difference in the magic of Hogwarts that was under her control. I spent much time pondering on it, while drinking mandrake infused tea and contemplating what my form would be when I succeeded at this transformation.

I did NOT think about Draco at all over the next week. I did not wonder why Draco had chosen that poem, one I read during my time in elementary school. During our mental battles, I had managed to memorize 'The Road not Taken' by Robert Frost. I could see why the poem would resonate with Draco, but I wondered if it was smart to openly declare his allegiance in his occlumency wards. I tried not to ask about it, and could tell that Draco was trying not to ask about the song I had chosen for my shield.

When I was twelve, I managed to hide and exchange enough galleons for muggle money that I bought a small cd player and several cd's, keeping them well hidden from the Dursley's under the loose floorboard. My favorite had been Evanescence, but I had several cd's stored under that floorboard, and they were all safely in my trunk now. The band resonated with me deeply, and helped me to cope when I was recovering from a bad beating. I had wanted to bring it with me to Hogwarts, but it wouldn't work with the magic of the castle. But I did not want to explain that to Draco, even if the boy had seen me beaten. We definitely weren't friends.

Well, that wasn't exactly true either. We seemed to have called a truce, though neither directly asked for it. Webantered back and forth as always, but no longer was there venom behind the words. We spent our lessons battering each others minds, and a fair bit of our free time talking, discussing anything from wands to chocolate to Quidditch. I spent more time with Draco than anyone else, and Ron and Hermione had all but stopped responding. Ron was angry that I was not at the Burrow, and Hermione had said she would talk to him, but as her letters became more brief, I knew she was trying to keep her peace with Ron. After all, she would be spending most of the summer with him at the Burrow. I couldn't blame her; I didn't want either of them angry at him. Though it was shitty of Ron to be so angry at me when I had just lost Sirius, the main father-like figure in my life.

So when Friday rolled around, and McGonagall told me that she did not want me to go to Diagon alone, she asked who I wanted to accompany me. I thought about it for a while, and asked Draco to join me. The blond had simply stared for a moment before nodding. “Sure. It wouldn't hurt to get out of the castle. But are we really going alone? There are plenty of Death Eaters around Diagon.”

“McGonagall is going to escort us to Gringots, and has given me a portkey for our return. The Death Eaters wouldn't dare take on the Goblins, or attack openly in front of them.”

Draco nodded, and seemed to think for a moment. “I'm surprised you aren't taking Weasel or Mu- Granger.”

I gave him a slight smile, glad that he had refrained from insulting Hermione. I really couldn't care less about Ron at the moment. “Ron is angry at me for Merlin knows what, and I don't want Hermione to feel like she's stuck in the middle of us.”

“Afraid she'll chose him?” Draco asked, not a hint of his usual smirk.

“No, I know she would choose me over Ron's pigheadedness. But it's not right for me to make her choose. I won't do that to her. Not after the Tournament. Besides, you probably know more about this banking and Heirship nonsense than they do.”

Draco gave a vague “Hmmm,” in response. He was watching me with those piercing gray eyes that made me feel as if I was standing naked and vulnerable before him. I reached up, rubbing the back of my neck as I looked away. I was not blushing. Certainly not. “So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. See you then.” Draco stood and left, leaving my mind racing. What am I going to wear tomorrow? Not that I care what Draco thought, but it was easier to dress nice than listen to the blond complain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I realize that this song, and one i will be using in the future did not exist during the harry potter timeline. Consider me a Timelord, bringing CD's to poor harry from the future.


	9. Chapter 9

At nine the next morning, both Draco and McGonagall strode into the Infirmary. I was already dressed, wearing faded black jeans and a green t shirt. My wand was tucked into my pocket, and my hair was a mess as usual, but I figured the goblins wouldn't care. Draco was dressed in his usual slacks and button down, a gray vest over top. McGonagall was in her green robes. She smiled at me fondly. “Ready, Harry?”

I sighed and stood. “As ready as I can be.” I moved to stand on her other side and she took each of us by the arm, apparating out of the infirmary. My stomach clenched as the twisting sensation of apparition made me nauseous. When my feet hit the ground, I stumbled forward, thankful for McGonagall's strong grip on my arm as I tried to hold down my breakfast. She released me once I was steady and walked ahead of us, leading us up the steps to Gringots.

She strode into the bank, heels clicking on the marble floors as she walked to the front bench. “I have a Mr. Harry Potter for a meeting with Griphook.” The goblin before her bowed and scurried off, apparently to find the other. McGonagall turned to me then, handing me a handkerchief. “Here is your portkey back to the infirmary. When you are ready, simply say 'Pinwheels' and it will bring you back.” I nodded in understanding and thanked her as she turned and left the bank. I turned back and found a familiar looking goblin staring at me.

“You! You took me to my vault the first time!”

“Of course, Mr. Potter. It is only customary for a family's accountant to take them.”

I scowled. “You didn't think to tell me that?”

Beside me, Draco scoffed. “He probably didn't know he had too, Harry. The Potters are an old family, and while the goblins know that the war is happening, I doubt they knew you were being raised by muggles.”

I grimaced and returned my gaze to Griphook, who was nodding at Draco's explanation. “I apologize, Mr. Potter. It seems we have much to discuss. If you and your guest would follow me.” He led us through a doorway and down a flight of stairs into a stone cavern. We walked through several twisting passageways before we turned, walking into what appeared to be Griphook's office. He motioned for us to be seated. “Now, Mr. Potter. From Minerva's letter I understand that the letter I received two years ago was not from you, but from Albus Dumbledore?”

“Correct. The matter of Heirship was never discussed with me.”

Griphook gave a non-committal grunt and handed me a sheet of parchment. “Is this your handwriting, Mr. Potter?”

I frowned down at the letter. It was almost identical to my handwriting, but not quite. The “a's” were wrong, and that was definitely not my signature at the bottom. I shook my head. “It's a close match, but no, it's not my handwriting.” Draco had leaned over, scanning it over my shoulder.

“Definitely not Harry's. His is much messier.” I turned and raised an eyebrow at the blond, who blushed ever so slightly and returned his gaze to the goblin. “Wouldn't he have had to be present to decline the heirship?”

“As Dumbledore was in control of his accounts, not necessarily. It is not unusual for the account holder to deliver the potential heirs answer.”

“How did Dumbledore come into control of Harry's accounts to begin with? He is not a member of the Potter household, nor does he have any claim of guardianship over him.”

“After the death of his parents, the Ministry demanded that we hand the accounts over to them. Dumbledore took it to the Wizengammot, and as he had placed Harry, he was given control of the accounts to be sure they went to raising him appropriately.” I felt my anger rising as my hand clentched on the arm of the chair. That certainly hadn't happened. Beside me, Draco stiffened, and it was only then that I was aware of the wild magic flaring around me. I took a deep breath, containing my anger and my magic. I shifted in my chair, laying the ankle of my left foot over my right knee and leaning on my right hand, which was propped up on the arm of the chair. Only then did I look at Griphook.

“I wish to claim my heirship, and no one but me is to have access to my accounts. I would like a full report of all transactions that have taken place since October 31st, 1981, and I would like an itemized list of the Potter vaults and properties. After that, I wish to see the wills of both my parents, as I doubt they have ever been opened, as well as the will of my godfather, Sirius Black.”

“Of course, Mr. Potter. I have expected most of these requests, and have everything here. First, I will need a sample of your blood on this Parchment here, to confirm that you are the Heir to the Potter Vaults.” I scowled, as that certainly seemed to be unnecessary. Only upon Draco's mutter that it was standard procedure did I lean forward, taking the small dagger from the goblin, who watched me intensely. I made a small cut in the center of my palm, wincing at the feel of the metal blade in my skin. It was too similar to the tournament, to the graveyard. I pressed my palm to the center of the parchment and removed my hand quickly, clenching it to stop the flow of blood. My eyes stayed glued to the paper as words began to form across the top.

 **Harry James Potter**  
**Son of Lily and James Potter**  
**Heir to:**  
**The Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell**  
**The Most Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor**  
**The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black (See will of Sirius Black)**  
**The Noble House of Potter**

**Test shows Positive for creature blood through The Noble House of Potter. See Documented Lineage for More information on Creature Inheritance.**

**Test shows positive for Magical Blockage, supressing more than 75% of Mr. Potter's potential magic. Ritual may be performed at Mr. Potter's request to remove said blockage. Blockage will prevent any possible creature inheritance. Analysis of the Magical signature on the spell used to block Mr. Potter's magic traced back to one Albus Dumbledore.**

I stared blankly down at the paper. Damn. Dumbledore had done more than block my Potter Inheritance. He was blocking my magic. He was blocking my lineage and my history. Surely he knew all of this. The bastard was more manipulative than I could have thought. I looked back up at Griphook., who was shaking his head.

“We did wonder why Mr. James did not come into an inheritance. He did not gain his Heirship until after his seventeenth birthday. It would not surprise me if his magic was blocked too. The Heirship ring of the Potter household holds spells that break all limiting spells on the person and deflect most curses.”

Draco, who was still staring at the parchment with a look of shock, snapped his head up, meeting Griphooks gaze. “Why?”

“I do not know why Dumbledore chose to do this. However, we can fix this, since Mr. Potter has arrived before his sixteenth Birthday, as that is when most inheritances take place.” The goblin turned and pulled out a black box, opening it to reveal a golden ring with a large red stone in the center. It was engraved with the Potter family crest. I reached for it immediately, but the goblin pulled it back. “Understand, Mr. Potter that this will break the control over your magic. This process can injure you, and drain you significantly until your body adjusts.”

“I don't care. The bastard has taken enough from me as is. I have to claim it to keep him out of my vaults, correct?” The goblin nodded, and I continued. “Then I'll take it, either way. Even if the damn ring kills me.” Beside me Draco was shaking his head, a slight smile on his face.

“Reckless as ever. Please continue, Griphook. He won't change his mind either way.” The goblin just gave a grin that made the hair on the back of my neck rise.

“His father was much the same, from the occasions that I worked with him.” He handed me the box. I stared at it for a moment before picking up the ring, and putting it on the third finger of my right hand, as Griphook instructed. Immediately I felt the rings magic run through me, filling ever pore of my body as it settled in my stomach, where I knew my magical core to be. It pressed inwards, and I felt something break as my magic flared around me again. I felt my eyes widen in shock at the sheer volume of the magic I now controlled as I forced it down, forced it to obey me. The magic settled and I stared at the ring on my hand.

“That went well,” Draco muttered. I glared at the blond beside me, then I laughed. His hair was a mess, and his tie was over his shoulder. I glanced around the office, noticing that papers had flown all over, scattered on a wind I didn't know I had created. I cast a quick charm, returning the office back to normal. Griphook only smiled his strange smile, and I had a feeling he was remembering my father again. Weird. He handed me another box, a simple silver ring engraved with the Peverell family crest, a triangle around a circle, with a line down the center. I slid the ring onto the same finger, and felt the magic wash through me again, as if assessing and approving me. I watched as the two rings morphed into one. Now a silver band surrounded the red stone.

Much the same happened with the Gryfindor ring, which was gold, causing the band to turn back to gold, as if it couldn't decide which colors were more prevalent. The Peverell crest stayed on the band, now proudly displayed next to several tiny lions. Lastly, Griphook handed me Sirius' will. It was short and simple, Naming me as the heir, reinstating Andromeda and Regulus to the family tree, and leaving a large chunk of money to Remus to “improve his wardrobe.” I tucked the will into my pocket, asking Griphook to transfer the funds to Remus, before taking the Black family ring.

I stared at it for quite some time. It was quite strange to be sitting here with Draco as I took this. If Sirius had never escaped and managed to clear his name with the goblins, Draco would be the one to gain the Black family titles. I glanced up at him nervously. He gave me a shy but encouraging smile, nodding towards the ring. It was strange to feel comforted by a boy who, just last week, was my enemy. I picked up the silver ring. It had a large black stone, with Always Pure inscribed in the center. I chose to think of it as pure of heart, as Sirius had said it originally meant, as I slid the ring onto my finger. I felt the magic and protective enchantments wash over me, as the ring on my hand morphed for a final time. The stone in the center was red, with the Potter Crest present above the Black family motto. The silver band was lined with the Gryffindor lions, and the Peverell crest. It was an even balance of all four, none truly outweighing the other. I smiled and went back to leaning against my hand.

“Congratuations Lord Potter-Peverell-Gryfinndor-Black.” I winced at the ridiculous number of titles. “Now that that is settled, here is the will of James and Lily Potter you requested. As you suspected, the seal is intact.”

I sighed heavily as I stared at the heavy envelope in my hand, at the foreign, elegant cursive across the front, wondering if it was my mothers writing. I opened the envelope gently and read the parchment inside, noticing that this time, Draco did not read over my shoulder.

_To be read and distributed by Griphook, our account manager, upon our deaths._

  
_In the event of our deaths, we leave all of our worldly possessions to our son, Harry James Potter._

_If this should occur before Harry is old enough to be legally emancipated by taking his Lordship,_

_Guardianship of Harry should go to Sirius Black._

_If for any reason Sirius is unable to take Harry, He is to be taken in by Remus Lupin, Molly Weasley,_

_Alice Longbottom, Severus Snape, or Minerva McGonagall, who has already agreed to take Harry_

_if no other suitable arrangements can be made._

_Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES is Harry to be placed with Peter Pettigrew,_

_Albus Dumbledore, or Petunia Dursley and her family, as all of these situations could be_

_Detrimental to his health._

 

 _These are our final wishes._  
_Lily and James Potter_

 

 

Harry stared blankly down at the parchment before folding it neatly and placing it in his pocket with Sirius' will. “Why was this not read upon their Death?”

“In the ensuing chaos, you disappeared, presumably under the care of someone that Albus Dumbledore trusted. There was no need to read the will, as a majority of the wizarding world believed you safe and sound.”

I snorted. “That is no excuse. It still should have been read, and executed. As our Family account manager, I would assume that would fall on you, to ensure that the wills were read?”

“Correct, Mr. Potter.”

“A duty in which you failed.”

“At the time I heard and wished to read the will, Dumbledore had already gained control of your accounts, and ordered that the will was to remain in the vault, unopened.” I nodded blandly.

“What has he taken from my accounts?”

The goblin, who didn't seem ruffled or insulted by me in the least, which I was quite thankful for, shuffled through papers before handing me a long list of transactions from my accounts. I grumbled as I read them, shaking my head and struggling to control my temper. I handed the parchment to Draco, who made a rather indignant noise that I knew he would deny as being a squeak, though it definitely was. “He... He paid those muggles to take care of you but didn't bother to check on you?”

“He knew. He knew damn well what happened there. That's why he would never let me leave. And if he truly has been blocking my magic, it wouldn't surprise me if he put them up to it.” I kept my voice purposely blank, masking my anger as I struggled to control it. Draco paled visibly, and made to speak again, but instead I turned to Griphook. “It's no use going after him in court. Not now. The Ministry is too blind, to ignorant to make any difference. The test mentioned a creature inheritance?”

The goblin seemed to notice my mood and handed me another roll of parchment without a word. I scanned it with Draco reading beside me.

**_Possible Creature Inheritances for Harry James Potter From the Potter Bloodline:_ **   
**_Vampire(Originally from Peverell Bloodline)_ **   
**_Siren_ **   
**_Stryder Elf(Originally from Gryffindor Bloodline)_ **   
**_Veela_ **   
**_Nymph_ **   
**_Neko(Originally from Gryffindor Bloodline)_ **   
**_Succubus_ **   
**_Daemon_ **   
**_Elemental_ **   
**_Plura(Any combination of the above Creatures)_ **

Draco gave a low whistle. “Damn, the Potter's got around.” I glared at him, and turned back to Griphook. “You said my father was due for an inheritance? Which was it?” He had read some about creature inheritances in Care of Magical Creatures. He knew that some were random, and some appeared after so many generations. He knew that most took effect on the persons 16th birthday, if their magic was strong enough to support the change.

“Typically we see a siren inheritance every five generations, however, your father made six generations without the inheritance. It is possible for the siren to remain dormant for up to ten generations, but it is extremely rare.”

Harry nodded. “Looks like I have more research to do. May I take the rest back to Hogwarts, along with an itemized list of the Black Vaults and Properties?”

“Certainly. If there is anything else you require, Mr. Potter, do not hesitate to owl me.” Griphook flicked his hand and four parchments rolled up into scrolls. Ribbons wrapped around them, labeling them as the properties and vault lists for the Potter and Black families. He flicked his hand again and four more scrolls added to the pile. “Here is the same for the Peverell and Gryffindor Bloodlines, as those rings have not claimed an Heir since they merged with the Potter household centuries ago, and have not been tied to the Potter lists.” I nodded, and shrunk the parchments before extending my hand to Griphook, which he took with one hearty shake. “I will also send along some information on the Potter bloodlines and the Wizengammot, as you now hold four permanent seats if you decide to attend any trials.”

I groaned. “Great. Politics. Thank you for your help, Griphook.” I tucked the shrunken scrolls into my pocket and stood, shaking the goblins hand. He just gave another creepy smile and escorted us back to the surface. Once their, I glanced around outside, and gave a heavy sigh. “I should stop at Olivanders and get a wand.”

“Not necessarily. Black's wand seems to work well for you.”

“I suppose.” I held out the portkey, and he took the other corner. I muttered the activation word, which was rather absurd. How did McGonagall know what a pinwheel was? I felt the familiar sensation of beeing twisted and stretched before shooting through a tube. Within moments we arrived in the Infirmary.

“Good news, Potter?” Snape asked from the corner, and Remus scowled at him. I wordlessly handed the latter the wills, putting the collection of scrolls on my bed, and then handed a copy of the inheritance test to Minerva as she strode through the doors, who nodded and passed it to Snape and Remus. Both looked up at me in shock, though Snape's face was much more reserved than Remus' dropped jaw.

“With all that creature blood, why didn't James have an inheritance?”

“Griphook suspects his magic was blocked as well, and he was given his heir ring after his sixteenth birthday, so it never broke the spell blocking his magic, allowing the inheritance to take over.”

“You claimed yours though, right?”

Draco snorted, drawing the attention away from me, for which I was immensely thankful for. “ Please. Potter has almost as many titles as Dumbledore now. All four rings accepted him.”

Minerva nodded. “I am not surprised. Harry's magic has always been a little erratic, having great strength at seemingly random times. Your magic was probably fighting the block. Thankfully, with the Lordship rings and their enchantments, Dumbledore will not be able to block your magic again.”

I smiled at her. Always the optimist. I couldn't really blame her; it was a relief. I sighed and laid down on my bed, placing the scrolls in the bedside table. Even though it was only about noon, I felt exhausted. Snape nodded next. “Unblocking so much magic makes it exhausting to control at first. You'll probably be tired for the next week or so. We will leave you to recuperate, and your lessons will continue at ten on Monday.”

I nodded, too tired to really care. I laid down, listening. I felt my eyes glaze over as I stared at nothing. Remus spoke next. “I believe we have overlooked something. Draco know's that Harry's magic is no longer blocked, and the entire result of the meeting, which Dumbledore knows nothing of. With his occlumency shields still weaker than average, he is vulnerable to Dumbledore, and thus, Harry is too.”

“Hmmm.... Draco, as deplorable as it is, you will stay in the infirmary until other rooms can be warded. I will fetch your belongings.” Snape said. He couldn't go against his head of house. I was aware that he nodded before I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

It was just my luck that now I was stuck living with Potter for Merlin knows how long until rooms could be situated. It couldn't be enough that I'm hopelessly pining after Harry, or that he was more powerful than I previously thought. Now I have to live in close quarters with him. Damn.

I mean sure, we had called a silent truce, and we were getting on quite well. But I knew better than to believe it would last. It was only a matter of time until Granger and Weasel swooped back in and Harry went along with them, as if nothing had changed between us. We'd be back to fighting over nothing, and constant tension. It wouldn't matter that I switched sides. I would still be his rival.

But in the meantime, I was going to make the most of this. If we had to go back to thinly veiled contempt, I would enjoy the peace this wary friendship brought. I chose the bed across from his, giving us our personal space without it looking like I was avoiding him, like it would if I went to the opposite end of the room. I settled into a sitting position, thinking over the day. He had been more open than I expected, not hiding his possible inheritances from me, and listening when I pointed out something he didn't know. All in all, I could see us being friends. And it hurt to know that he had already denied me that once. I wouldn't let myself get attached. I wouldn't let him hurt me again when he went back to his usual gang of redheads.

Yet, I still felt my gaze drift over him as he slept. His hair was a mess of inky black against the white pillows. His face was more relaxed than I think I've ever seen it awake. He looked young, and open, and vulnerable. Vulnerable in a way he wasn't when I found him broken on the floor of his muggle home. I can't quite put my finger on it, but instinct tells me it's trust. He seems so trusting, lying there asleep, aware that I'm in the room. He had to have heard, he was listening until Severus left. He trusted me, who had been his rival until just a week ago, to fall asleep and just be. Then again, maybe he truly was more exhausted than he let on.

The more I learned about him, the more I wondered if I really knew anything about him before. Every single time I thought I got a grip on who Harry potter was, he managed to reveal something that left me questioning at his true depths. It made me wonder more about the song he had intertwined with his occlumency shields. It was obviously one he knew well, as the chords and haunting voice played seamlessly, as if recalling them took no effort. It left me wondering what was really beneath the surface.

I sighed, determined not to think about it. It wouldn't get me anywhere, wondering more about Harry. I'd just have to wait and watch, and hope I wasn't cast aside in few months time. Severus returned and placed my trunk at the foot of my bed. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“Something interesting to read would be great.” My godfather grinned and swept from the room, returning alongside McGonagall, who placed several books on Harry's bedside. I noticed that most of them seemed to be on Magical Creatures. She also placed what seemed to be several bags of tea on the nightstand before she left. I flipped through the books Severus had Brought. Most of them were on Politics, though there were a few on potions and one on animagi. I raised a brow at him. He shrugged. “Minerva's Pick.” Strange, considering and identical book sat in Harry's stack, though it was visibly older with several pages marked with pieces of paper sticking out of them. I set them beside me and flipped the book open, settling to read as Severus left without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, check out the start of my Series rewrite, titled "Serena's Story"
> 
> Kudos and comments are gold!!!


	11. Chapter 11

I woke slowly, watching as the sun started to rise in the windows above my bed in the infirmary. Sure, the curtains were mostly drawn, but I couldn't help but wonder when I would be back in my own dorm, that didn't smell so sterile. I reached for my glasses, which I didn't remember taking off, and slid them back on my nose before I stretched, sitting up against my pillows and staring out the window.

It looked like it was going to be a wonderful day, and I wanted nothing more to go flying. I scowled. Of course that couldn't happen with Dumblefuck still roaming the castle. I can't believe I had trusted him so blindly for so long, and at that moment, I acutely felt the loss of Sirius. He had known, surely, how manipulative the man was. Dumbledore was one of the few people who KNEW that Peter Pettigrew was my parents secret keeper, yet he let Sirius take the fall and fade away in Azkaban. I felt my magic snap to attention around me, ready to do my bidding.

It took me by surprise, snapping me out of my negative thoughts. The sheer volume of magic now swirling around me was incredible. It wasn't reacting violently like it had so often of late. It simply waited, an invisible aura of pure power and magic hanging in the air around me, wrapping around me as a silent comfort. A silent reminder of what had been taken from me. No wonder it had been so violent, it had been fighting to do what it naturally wanted, to surround and protect me. It was immensely calming, to know that whatever else was taken from me, I would never again lose this feeling.

It made me wonder just how many wizards were being controlled by Dumbledore. If he could do this to me, without me knowing it, who's to say how many people he has controlled and limited? From what I understood, spells to bind ones magic become permanent if used for more than seven years. He could have binds on the magic of nearly all the Ministry by now. I shook my head, as I didn't have any real evidence that he had done this to someone else.

Well, except Sirius.

And my dad....

Madam Pomfrey came in and examined the room before looking at me and smiling. “It is good to finally see you at your full magic, Harry.” She cast a quick diagnostic charm on me and nodded. “It's likely you'll still be more tired than usual, but you have always made quick recoveries, so you may prove me wrong.” She handed me a canteen and a cup, which I took quickly, drinking my first glass of the mandrake tea for the day, since I had to make up for my two cups yesterday. She smiled at me as she left, heading back into her office.

I had to admit, while it was a better option than having the mandrake leaf in my mouth for a month straight, the taste of the tea was still fairly foul. It had been sweetened with honey, but nothing could mask the taste or smell of mandrake leaves. Trying my best to ignore the bitter taste, I reached for the book McGonagall had brought me on the transformation, opening it to a page I had folded slightly, ignoring the voice in the back of my head that sounded suspiciously like Hermione, telling me that it was a disgrace to damage a book. Not that this book was in it's prime.

When I opened this particular book the first time, I never made it past the front cover, where the words “Property of Prongs” were scrawled inside, along with an entire conversation written out between the marauders. I must have read it five times over, laughing at their forgotten conversation. Padfoot had written himself in as the books co-owner, and Moony had followed it up, stating that putting their hidden nicknames on the book was a bad idea, as they wouldn't get it returned to them without someone wondering why they had the nicknames. Wormtail had added a small comment about not caring if the nicknames became known, but I had ignored that in favor of reading the bickering between the men who were the closest thing to family I had.

But this time, as I flipped to my page, I couldn't help but smile. Throughout the book there were torn pages and ink stains, small post it notes from Remus and notes in the margins from them all. To have their notes on the process, and to have something that contained a piece of my Father, my God Father, and a man who had steadfastly protected me and gone out of his way to teach me made the book priceless to me, something to be cherished. I settled in to reading about the beginning stages, which discussed the required mentality and meditation to begin the process.

I had tried meditating in the Infirmary, but something told me it wouldn't work here. No, I needed to be outside, where I could breathe fresh air and think more clearly. And for that, I needed to get my Occlumency skills up. So I set aside 'The Animal Inside' and began reading the book Snape had added to my pile about Occlumency. I knew I should read about my possible creature inheritances, but I really didn't want to think about it yet. It still felt surreal.

Several hours passed before Draco woke in his bed across from me. I glanced up when he groaned and rolled, pulling the pillow over his head to block out the sunlight. I chuckled, as it was well past noon at this point. I decided to press my luck since fun was hard to find in the infirmary. “Rise and shine, Blondie.” I laughed loudly at the two fingered salute the blonde gave and let it be. He'd wake up eventually. Smile firmly on my face, I turned my attention back to my book and my sandwich, brought by one of the house elves for lunch.

I certainly didn't sneak glances at Draco as he stretched and shifted, his shirt rising to show a strip of pale skin above his sleep pants. I didn't notice the messy platinum blonde hair that looked utterly touchable, and much more attractive than its typical slicked back state. I certainly didn't notice that Draco Malfoy in the morning was a sight to behold. I read of course. Those thoughts wouldn't get me anywhere. Until a certain blonde crossed the room and nearly sat on my feet, swiping half of my sandwich in the process. He smirked smugly as if he had accomplished quite a feat and raised an eyebrow at me, as if daring me to protest. I just smiled and shook my head.

“Spend a week with Ron and you'll get used to your food disappearing.”

How he manged to scowl with a full mouth I'll never know, but I hurriedly tried to return my attention to reading, ignoring the heat in my cheeks and alertness I felt in the magic surrounding me. But my mind couldn't help but be aware of Draco. Through the last five years, we had always been highly aware of the other, what they were doing, what they may be thinking. Thus he noticed my change in behavior, just as I saw his eyebrow shoot into his hairline in my peripheral. Though he decided not to comment on it, for which I was thankful for.

“How you put up with him, I'll never understand.”

“There's always more food around, he's just too lazy to reach for it when my plates right there. It's better to watch for the twins pranks at meals than worry about what Ron sneaks off my plate. I'd rather not become a test subject. Though they've backed off on pranking me since I invested in them. You get used to it. It's easier than arguing.”

Draco didn't seem to have a response to that. And that was another thing, when had he become Draco in my mind instead of Malfoy. Maybe when he switched sides in the war? Who knew. It didn't seem that important. The blonde was looking at me with a calculating look that would have put me on edge just a week ago.

“You're magic is different. It's stronger. And less aggravated. Have you tested it yet?”

“Didn't want to destroy the hospital wing, and I haven't had anyone come by to escort me elsewhere to try.”

“Where were you thinking to go?”

I eyed him sideways, wondering how much to divulge. “Where we practiced last year.” The blonde had the grace to look a bit ashamed before standing and crossing the room.

“Guess you can tell me about it when you get back, then.”

“You're welcome to come with me, but you may not always find the room.” Curiosity burned bright in gray eyes, obviously wanting to know more, but not willing to ask. Harry sighed. “Have you heard of the Room of Requirement.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Of course. We've all read 'Hogwarts; A History' by now.”

“Actually, I think you and Hermione are the only people I know who have. Anyway, Luna found it ages ago. She had always been very in tune with magic around her, and thus she's very in tune with the castle. She showed it to us, and we used it for our Defense Group.”

“That explains why we couldn't find you.” He glanced away with that slight blush staining his cheeks, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was hiding. “So when are you going?”

I sighed. I really wanted to go now, but who knew who I would run into along the way. But then again, I had a way to find anyone in the castle. I stood slowly, digging the cloak and the map out of my trunk and turned to Draco. “You breathe a word about these to anyone but Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna or Neville, and you're dead, got it?”

Draco watched me with wide eyes, obviously feeling my emotions through the magic around to know I was serious, and nodded. I moved, sitting beside him on his bed. With the cloak under the map, I opened it to the center fold and pointed my wand at it, releasing a deep breath. “I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good.” As always, the map unfolded before me, ink appearing on the pages and foot steps moving about the halls. Draco sat beside me, jaw dropped, before he laughed.

“No wonder you never get caught!!!”

I smiled. As I quickly scanned the map, noting that the staff seemed to be having a meeting. Remus and Narcissa were chatting in his rooms, as he seemed to be returning as their DADA teacher, which Harry was incredibly happy about. “That's half of it. Mischief Managed.” I folded it quickly and set it in my pocket and stood, unfolding the cloak as I did. As an afterthought, I summoned some parchment and left a note on my bed for Remus, since he would likely be up next, and I didn't want him to worry. We had told him the location of the room, since it was one of the few things the Maurauders hadn't found in their school years.

Pulling Draco to stand beside me, I threw the cloak over us both, cutting off his observation of the fabric. He raised an eyebrow at me quizzically, since we could see each other fine underneath. “Invisibility Cloak. Come on, and watch your feet. It's a bit small for two.”

“Merlin, no wonder you never get in trouble for the shite you do, sneaking around after hours.”

I suppressed a smirk as I opened the Infirmary door, thankful that it was near the Room. I drug Draco along in silence, and made him pace with me before the entrance. I smiled at the simple door that was so familiar and entered, closing the door behind us.


	12. Chapter 12

I slid out from under the cloak, away from the heat and magic that radiated off of Harry, and looked around the room. It was better equipped than I had ever seen the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom be. There were cushions around and several different Dark Detectors like sneakascopes and two way Mirrors. Targets stood at one end of the room, along with a bulletin board and a pile of fake galleons. The last one confused me, but I didn't bother to ask. I still couldn't believe Harry had let me come along with him.

 

It was strange that I didn't really know when I had started calling him Harry in my mind, but I took note of it, deciding it probably wasn't very important. Instead, I went over to the shelves of dark Detectors, seeing how many of them I could identify from my training with Lucius. Most. I could identify most. I turned to find Harry and saw him in a corner of the room that was obviously here because of Granger. He had set the cloak and the map down on a small table by two plush chairs that were surrounded by bookcases. He scanned through the titles, picking up a book that seemed well read on advanced defensive spells.

 

After scanning for a page, and apparently finding it, I watched as he headed to the center of the room, facing the targets. He read for a moment, before he spoke, moving his wand in a slashing motion. “Tergora Deripiunt.” The Flaying hex, considered borderline Dark. The top layer of wood on the target peeled off, representing an opponents skin, he skimmed through the book, picking another and casting it at another target. Soon hexes, jinxes, and curses were flying.

 

I leaned against the bookcase, arms crossed as I watched him move. There was an unusual grace to him when he was fighting that he certainly lacked in his everyday life. I watched, noticing how his muscles moved beneath his black tee shirt, how it lifted at the edge to show the beautifully tanned skin of his abdomen and a trail of dark hair leading lower. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts and focused on the magic around him. The magic seemed to hug him like a blanket, staying close to him and but snapping out at each spell, barely placing any effort into them. It was similar to the magic around Minerva, as if it drew some strength from the Castle. Then again, considering he was the Heir of Gryffindor, that was quite likely. Soon he had dropped the book to his side, putting more power behind each spell, eventually switching entirely to nonverbals. The targets smoked and wood splintered, but they were immediately replaced. Even from this distance I could feel his magic. It felt happy to be free, to have a purpose. It felt powerful.

 

He stopped casting for a moment, and I watched him slide is wand into his back pocket and focus on a target. He stared at it for a few minutes, and I was just opening my mouth to ask what he was doing when the target caught fire and he grinned, looking devilishly handsome as he began focusing on the next target, which was blasted backwards. His grin turned to a full smile as he vanished the last target. At the clapping from the door we both spun around, startled.

 

Lupin stood against the door frame, with Severus scowling beside him as usual, though the slight raise in his eyebrow was enough for me to know that he was impressed. Lupin strode forward and put his hand on Harry's shoulder, pointing to the new targets and whispering in Harry's ear. The raven haired boy smirked and cast the spells. Next thing I knew, one target slid apart from newly formed gashes and another hung from its base upside down.

 

“Nice going, Pup.” Lupin said to Harry.

 

'Thanks, Moony. I still haven-”

 

“How dare you teach him my spells, Lupin? You know quite well what I have to say on this matter. He'll put them to the same use as his arrogant father.”

 

I knew the look that crossed Harry's face. That look of sheer contempt and anger. I had seen it directed at myself on several occasions. I felt the temperature of the room drop a few degrees as he made to move forward, mouth open to argue before Lupin pulled him back, draping an arm casually around Harry's shoulder. “If I thought Harry would put them to such a use, then I wouldn't teach them to him. You may have forgotten, Severus, but there is still a war going on, and I will teach my students what I think will help them. I happen to know that Harry is one the most advanced students in this school as far as Defense. As his teacher, and friend, I will teach him what I deem necessary.”

 

Severus glowered at the pair. He moved to stand near me, grumbling all the while. I tuned him out and listened to the duo. “You were saying, Harry?”

 

“I still haven't tried my patronus. Not since...” his voice broke off as he swallowed. “Not since the night of the attack. And when I did, it felt strange, as if it couldn't decide on a shape and settled into what was familiar. At first I thought it was because I managed to cast it wandless, but now.... So much has changed. I worry it may have changed as well, especially with everything at Gringots yesterday.”

 

“Why does it worry you? It's not a bad thing if a patronus changes.”

 

“I suppose I'd rather keep Prongs.”

 

Professor Lupin smiled down at Harry gently. “Prongs had been gone for fifteen years Harry. As much as you wish to keep the memory of your father, I think it would be good for your patronus to change. You're becoming your own man, Harry. That's not a bad thing. James wouldn't hold that against you. He'd be rather proud.”

 

I wasn't sure what to make of this side of Harry. To see him so insecure, and full of doubt in himself. I had seen him closed off and reserved, but never like this. I knew he had kept in touch with Lupin, but I didn't realize how close the two were. And the man had been friends with his father? And apparently they'd had issues with Severus. I turned and raised a brow at the man who scowled and continued his muttering. That certainly explained some things, but left just as many questions. I looked back to see Harry concentrating. Lupin didn't seem worried as he watched. After a few moments, Harry whispered a spell under his breath.

 

In front of him, formed a silver mist. He frowned, and focused harder on it, feeding it more magic and pushing the mist out until it took form. A large silver wolf, or was it a dog, stalked in front of Harry, who watched Lupin grimace. The animal was large, well over waist height, and sat back on its haunches to give a silent howl. They all watched in silence until it faded away. Lupin sighed.

 

“Of all the forms it could choose, it had to be a wolf.”

 

Harry gave a sheepish grin. “It was a different type though. That one was different. Larger. It looked like an arctic wolf or something. There are large dogs that look like that, too. Husky's.”

 

The older man was gripping the bridge of his nose and sighed again. “Since we are here, I would like for Severus to test your Occlumency walls.” Beside him Harry visibly stiffened but nodded, turning to face Severus, who was obviously in a bad mood. I wouldn't want him in my mind right now, and would have outright denied. But something in Harry's expression hardened, along with his resolve.

 

“Alright, but if I can handle him in this mood, I'm free to roam. I can't stay in the infirmary and get anything constructive done. I'll stay at night until other rooms are available. And if I can best his shields, then Draco is free to roam with me.”

 

I felt the urge for my jaw to drop, again. It was quickly becoming a habit. I hated it. Malfoy's did not get shocked. They were simply informed of something new. But I couldn't believe that Harry would so boldly challenge Severus, or include me in his deal. I watched warily, waiting for him to answer. Severus took a deep breath. “And what would your ability to best my shields have to do with Draco?”

 

“If I can best your shields, I can keep Dumbledore distracted enough that he won't focus on Draco, which gives him more time to up his shields. Besides, I can't hide in there forever. He's probably already confused as to why he can't get into the Infirmary to question me and try to place whatever spell blocked my magic again. It's for the best either way, but better if I can hold my own.” Harry's arms were crossed defensively over his chest, head held high in defiance as he dared Severus to find a hole in his argument.

 

“I see. The headmaster has been curious as to how you have avoided him. I accept those terms, Potter, but only if you best my shields.”

 

The nodded and stood facing each other. Both seemed to be sizing the other up, as they stared, neither budging. They drew their wands at the same moment, muttering the spell then stood frozen. Each of their eyes glazed as they grappled for entry, for control over the others mind. I glanced at Lupin, who glanced at me in turn. “Shall I test your shields while we wait? Knowing these two they'll be at it for a while.”

 

“Sure, why not?” I shrugged at my professor. We faced each other, wands drawn, and he cast.

 

His mind felt different than any other mind I had contacted. It seemed that Remus used the river technique, which was rare and harder to obtain, but also harder to penetrate. As I brushed against parts of his mind, it felt different, and I attributed that to the Werewolf inside of him. His mind felt as if it was conflicting with itself, yet managed to find harmony. He brushed me aside and refocused on attacking my mind. I retreated deeper into myself, throwing up my walls and reciting my poem. He began advancing and I tried for a new tactic, imagining an impenetrable bubble around my mind. I vaguely saw him smirk and he advanced again, using his thoughts as a poisonous mist to penetrate the porous surface of the bubble. A small blast of wind from me cleared the fog.

 

A triumphant shout from Harry broke us apart, as we turned to observe him. He was absolutely beaming. Severus' face was more blank than usual, and his lips were upturned in a smirk. “Well, Well, Potter. It seems you can learn.”

 

“When someone bothers to teach me. Now, if you would excuse us professors, I don't know about Draco, but I'm dying to fly.” With that he summoned the Cloak and map, shrinking them and putting them in his pocket before motioning for me to follow him. As we left, I caught a bit of whispered conversation behind us.

 

“Draco's shields are improving as well.”

 

“We must ensure that they continue practicing together.” Severus whispered, his voice more kind than usual when directed at Remus.

 

“Something tells me that won't be an issue. I told you that pairing them would work.”

 

“I will concede, that on occasion, your half baked plans work.”

 

I smirked and followed Harry down the hall.

 


	13. Chapter 13

When we got to the broom shed, I immediately pulled out my Firebolt. A wave of nostalgia and loss hit me as I stared down at my gift from Sirius. With a sad smile, I mounted the broom and took off, my sadness immediately replaced by pure adrenaline and excitement. Sure, this wasn't a match, but the simple joy of flying was enough to relax me more than any calming drought ever could. It felt so free to be in the sky, with only your skill and a broom keeping you aloft.

 

I shot up at a 90 degree angle, ignoring Draco's shouts as I corkscrewed through the air, shouting with joy. Once I had reached a reasonable height, I leveled off, leaning low over my broom and flying out over the forest, with a cursing Malfoy on my heels. I flew low, dodging tree tops and purposely avoiding the section of the forest that hid the acromantulas. I did not want to find out how high they could climb in the trees.

 

I flew aimlessly for Merlin knows how long, dragging my feet through the lake and between the towers of the castle, laughing loudly when I noticed areas of the roof that were gouged by dragons claws. Finally, I came to a stop at the astronomy tower, landing lightly near a telescope. I leaned on the banister and stared out over the landscape, observing everything and nothing while a caught my breath. Draco landed beside me, panting and gasping for breath. “Jesus Christ, Potter! Are you trying to die by flying???”

 

I laughed. “I feel perfectly alive, thanks.”

 

“I nearly got impaled by a spire of the castle!”

 

“Oh please, quit with the dramatics, Draco.”

 

“I'm serious! You could have killed either of us.”

 

“No one said you had to keep up, I would have come back eventually.”

 

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the banister, glaring at me. “Before or after Dumbledore mind rapes me again?”

 

I winced. “I kinda forgot about that.”

 

He snorted, and for the first time, I turned to look at him. His hair was delightfully messy, and his cheeks were pink from the wind. His eyes had an annoyed look to them, but they were full of mirth and amusement. “Of course you did. However, I must say, that was a rather enjoyable flight.”

 

“Always is.”

 

“If you always fly like a madman, then I can see why. Then again, for those of us who aren't natural fliers, it's a bit less comforting.”

 

It was my turn to snort. “Please, you were probably born with a broomstick in one hand and a scowl on your face.”

 

He arched a perfectly shaped brow at me before looking away. “If you say so.” He had grown unusually quiet. I opened my mouth to ask what was bothering, but decided against it. If he wanted to tell me, he would. We stood in silence for a long time before he spoke. “If father got his way, then yes, that would have been true. I would have been the top of the class, and star seeker. I would have gone on and played professionally for a few years until he decided it was time for me to settle down and find a wife. I would have picked up a career in politics, and gone on to be a high ranking ministry person, or even the minister himself. Sadly for him, I've never been what he wanted in a child.”

 

He sighed heavily before he continued. “No, I'm second to a muggle born. I've never been a natural flier, and would rather play keeper if given the choice. I have no desire to play professionally, and I have no desire to go into politics. I refused to serve the Dark Lord for him. Hell, in a couple of hours, Voldemort will be in a right rage when he finds out we blocked him from the manor and I'm not there to receive his vile brand.”

 

Now don't get me wrong, I heard everything he had said, but at that, I straightened. “You were going to get the mark today?”

 

“Fathers arrangements.”

 

“Shit.” I immediately pulled out the map, scanning it to be sure they were alone before I sent a patronus off to Remus and another to Snape, telling them to meet us at the pitch. Draco glanced at me like I was nuts and started to ask what I was doing just as the wolf patronuses glided away over the banisters. I noted a figure quickly making his way up to the astronomy tower as I slammed the map back into my pocket. I mounted my broom. “Fly.” Bewildered though he was, he didn't question me and immediately mounted his broom, taking off. I slowed enough to keep him next to me as we slowly looped around the castle, heading towards the pitch.

 

Shit, shit, shit! Dumbledore had raided his mind. Of course he knew that Draco was to get the Mark today. And if my new found perceptions of the man were even halfway correct, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to send Draco or Narcissa back to the manor. If he was mad that I was out of an abusive home, he would find a way to be mad about this. Why he would want Draco to go back to his insane father and Voldemort, I have no idea, but the speed that he had been rushing to the Tower with told me he wanted more than to check on me.

 

As we neared the pitch I saw Snape and Remus jogging to the pitch. We landed and I banished our brooms into the shed, and headed off to meet them with Draco right behind me. We met them halfway and I pulled the map out again. Dumbledore was already on the third floor, making a bee line for us. “We need to get back to the infirmary, immediately, but we are going to run into Dumbledore on the way. He almost cornered us in the tower, and he is already descending to the second floor.”

 

“But, certainly you can handle him, Potter, or I wouldn't have let you out, Snape sneered.

 

“It's not me I'm concerned about. He raided the Malfoy's minds. He knows that Draco was supposed to take the mark today. I know how that bastard thinks. He would have ripped into their minds anyway at the first given chance. With all the other shit he's pulled, I don't think he'll wait two seconds to send them back to the Manor as a way to have control over them.”

 

Recognition flashed behind the black eyes. “Narcissa's rooms are warded. Lupin?”

 

Remus just nodded as his patronuses danced out of sight, one disappearing into a window of the fifth floor, and another to the Sixth. “Minerva will find us along the way. Let's go.” The professors led the way and we followed, Draco by my side.

 

“Do you really think he would do something like that?”

 

“Do you think I would have gotten three professors involved if I didn't?”

 

He nodded. “Valid point. But why would he do that?”

 

I sighed. “From what I can tell, and this is just suspicions from what I've gathered, he has been playing a game with my family for generations. Years of suppressed magic. I highly doubt we are the only ones, and do you think he would let someone as influential as a Malfoy out of the school without thinking he had some degree of control over them? Your heir rings keep his spells from working on you, so he can't suppress your magic like he did mine.. So what is the next best way that he can control you, suppress your nature?”

 

Realization flashed across Draco's face. “Forcing me to be a slave for a madman.”

 

“Exactly. I have a feeling that is why so many pureblood families are under Voldemort's control. Dumbledore only got to the Purebloods who waited to give their heirship rings, or he had managed to imperious the parents into withholding the rings until their magic was too contained for the rings to break. He has literally been controlling hundreds of lives. For all we know he's controlling Voldemort, too.”

 

“But how do you know?”

 

“Consider it a guess, but I'd bet it's right. He's trying to control the war, and suppress everyone elses magic so he can rule Wizarding Britain. He's been at this school for generations. He taught McGonagall. Who is to say that a majority of our wizarding population isn't being contained? Who is to say that the reason there have been less births in pureblood families isn't because their magic is so contained and depleted that they physically don't have the magic in them to sustain more children? But the families like the Weasleys, loyal to him, still have enough magic that they can have seven children? It's all speculation, but it just all fell into place on that tower.”

 

“I suppose. But why wouldn-”

 

“Hello there gentlemen. Fancy finding you here. I have been meaning to speak to you, Harry, but I had yet to find you.” He was speaking before he even turned the corner which was a blessing in disguise. I grabbed Draco's arm, pulling it over my shoulder and making it look as if I were about to drop from exhaustion, which was rather contrary to the adrenaline shooting through my system. At the last second, I began favoring my left leg, the one closest to Draco. Draco blinked at me twice with wide eyes before schooling his expression. Dumblefuck smiled down at us, the obnoxious twinkle back in his eyes.

 

“Sorry to hear that sir. I've been getting a jump on my studies, since I have access to my books this summer.” I didn't try to keep the bitter tone out of my voice, though I made sure to sound less coherent than usual.

 

“What a wonderful way to spend your time.” His face grew slightly confused as he truly took in my position, leaning against Draco, head on his shoulder as if I may fall over. “Might I borrow just a moment?”

 

“I'm sorry Professor, but we were just heading up to the infirmary. I've found that I tire rather easily since the attack at Privet Drive. Madam Pomphrey is not sure why, but we are looking into it. Clumsy me, in my state I managed to twist my ankle.” I saw Draco's brow arch ever so slightly at the easy lie.

 

“Ah, that's a shame. We can speak another day then. And what about you Mister Malfoy?”

 

“I'm rather occupied at the moment, as you can see, Professor.”

 

“I'm sure Lupin and Snape can take Harry here off of your hands for a moment.” I shifted, then yelped, lifting my foot again as if I had placed too much weight onto it.

 

“If you really don't mind professor, I'd rather we all just get there. Surely you can borrow Draco at another time.”

 

Blue eyes glanced back to me and narrowed, obviously annoyed. I hid my smirk. The headmaster certainly was slipping. He had just opened his mouth to protest when McGonagall swept around the corner. “Oh, Albus! There you are! A message from the Board of Directors has arrived that requires your immediate attention.”

 

“Certainly, as Deputy Headmistress, you can handle it.”

 

“The forms can only be viewed by the Headmaster. At least, that's what I could read of it. It looks as if they used a variation of the scrambling hex that will only allow you to read the letter.” At that she glanced at us and feigned a look of shock. “Harry! What have you done this time?”

 

“He tripped coming back from the pitch, Professor. I'm sure that Madam Pomfrey has informed you of Harry's bouts of exhaustion lately? Apparently clumsiness is a part of that,” Draco drawled beside me, sarcasm and cheek clear in his voice and I struggled not to laugh, instead opting for a convincing coughing fit. Thankfully, McGonagall just shook her head and came to support my other side.

 

“Up to the infirmary. Both of you. Draco have you been eating well? Your mother will be quite concerned if she sees you looking so pale.” Noting that he looked just as pale as usual, I chimed in.

 

“You have seemed a little pale since our flight. Perhaps you should come back for a rest.” At that we started walking, passing the flummoxed headmaster as we headed for the stairs. We had just put our first foot on the stairs when I felt hands reaching towards my mind. I gripped Draco more tightly, afraid that Dumbledore would go after him next, but he seemed fine. The hands were gentle, more so than Snape had ever been, so in that split second I took it to be concern, letting my shields slide and projecting the hurt I had felt before from twisted ankles and the pure exhaustion that I was truly beginning to feel. I felt the hands withdraw and glanced over my shoulder.

 

“Now, there was no need for that Professor? What reason do I have to lie to you?” McGonagall turned to glare at the man and began to speak. I cut her off. “Its alright, Professor McGonagall. He just wanted to be sure I wasn't hurt too badly.” And with that we headed up the stairs. Slowly, of course, to account for my “injury”. Snape and Lupin followed behind us, occasionally reminding us of a trickstep or freezing the staircases before they could move. I didn't dare glance over my shoulder until the doors to the infirmary closed.

 

“Did he go after anyone else or just me?” No one answered. “Alright, well that's good, I guess.” I began pacing. Remus interrupted that pretty quickly.

 

“Severus, will you check on Narcissa please? I know her rooms are warded, but I don't trust him not to try something.” The grim man nodded and left without a word. “I can't believe he really tried that. I hate to wonder what he'll do now that his plans have been foiled.”  
  


I snorted. “He's not done. He's persistent. If he was truly going to send Draco back to Voldemort, there's nothing stopping him from doing it later. He's bound to realize that. I don't think he cares either way who lives and who dies. No, he'll just get more persistent.”

 

“Then what do you propose we do?”

 

McGonagall turned to me. “Apparently your occlumency is good enough you could keep him out?”

 

“Not exactly. He wasn't really trying. I don't think he expected me to realize he was doing it. So I made him believe my shields are weak and showed him the only thing I could imagine he was looking for with such little effort. I projected old memories of pain and exhaustion and he stopped.”

 

“I see. And if he tries harder?”

 

“I broke into Severus' mind today in testing my abilities. I think I'd be able to repel him at least.”

 

“Then you have a meeting with the headmaster at ten tomorrow, when your 'exhaustion' shouldn't affect you as badly and your ankle is healed.”

 

“Well, see the exhaustion wasn't really a lie, just it's time of onset. I am rather tired from having my magic unbound yesterday.”

 

She smirked at me. “Very well, Harry. An elf will bring your breakfast in the morning. Don't eat anything Albus offers you. I found a large dose of calming drought in his lemon drops so people were less likely to notice what he was up to.” I nodded and moved across the room, siting down on my bed and burying my head in my hands. I heard the doors open as Remus and McGonagall left, discussing the situation quietly and in some strange code so it wouldn't get back to Dumbledore.

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

 

I stood in the middle, listening to my Professors depart while my eyes followed Harry. I watched as he sat down, burying his head into his hands. Somehow, though we've only been on semi-friendly terms for a week, he had already managed to save my life. How he had put it together, I don't know, but he had managed and I owed him for it. Dumbledore had seemed way too keen on getting me alone, barely badgering Harry. After a long moment of indecision, I walked over and sat on the bed beside him. He didn't flinch.

 

“You realize that you probably just saved my life, right?” He nodded into his hands. For some reason, I still couldn't quite wrap my head around it. The guy who had been my rival for years just saved me. He barely knows me, barely tolerates me, and yet he had saved my life. I could still feel the warmth of his back against my arm. Despite how serious the situation was, I hadn't been able to help noticing just how well he fit against me. I bumped my shoulder into his. “Thank you, but I have to ask. Why? Why not just hand me over? I know we've managed to get along this week, but I never thought you would take such a risk for someone like me.”

 

At that he looked up, hands frozen in midair. He studied me for a while before he shook his head. “No one deserves the fate he tried to force on you. No one should be forced into doing something that they are so against.”

 

“And how would you know I was against it?”

 

“From the bit of conversation on the tower, along with the sheer fact that you and your mother risked your lives coming here for protection. Don't forget, you stuck your neck out for me when you came to the Dursley's.”

 

“I'm not sure that counts. It happened so fast I barely realized what we were doing until we were there. Besides, three muggles are no match for five armed wizards. Your aunt didn't even fight, she just shrieked at Sev.”

 

“Sounds like Petunia. But that's not the point here. We may have a rocky past, but we're on the same side of this now. Hell, you know more about what is happening than my friends do, and they would have played twenty questions before flying off that tower.”

 

“Why?”

 

He gave a heavy sigh. “Don't get me wrong, I've gotten myself, Ron and Hermione into some sticky situations. But I'm not like them. I follow my intuition, and it has only led me astray once. With the Ministry a few months ago... But Voldemort tricked me. Either way, they wouldn't have believed that there was a need to get off the tower. And we would have been stuck. I'm not saying I'm always right, but when I get a gut feeling that strong, I usually am, and they don't understand that. Not everything can be planned, you know?”

 

I nodded. I could picture Granger asking Harry for every minute reason he wanted to get off the tower and arguing every point. Something about his voice, his stance, maybe even his magic had told me it was urgent to listen to him, so I did. She wouldn't have, and Weasel probably would have stayed with her. “What....” I cleared my throat and tried again. “If I may ask, what happened at the Ministry?”

 

He gave a bitter laugh that never should have passed the lips of a fifteen year old. “You'll see soon enough, if you're correct and Voldemort is in a rage. Their is some sort of connection between us. I'm not entirely sure how, but I have a feeling it's dark magic. I can feel it now, like a leech off of my own magic. But when he has intense feelings, they leak over, and I can see what he is doing. Who he is torturing. And... killing sometimes. That's why I had Occlumency lessons, or 'remedial potions' with Snape. But that's beside the point.”

 

“Before the Ministry, his emotions had begun to leak more. That's how I knew about the attack on Arthur Weasley. I saw it, in a nightmare. After that, he realized the connection and began to send me these strange dreams. In the final one, he... He had Sirius. Long story short, he didn't and I thought he did because we couldn't contact him, and we rushed to the Ministry. Voldemort needed me to retrieve something he couldn't, and I refused. We fought a lot of death eaters, until the Order came. Sirius came too and....” by this point, his voice was quiet and shaky, breaking regularly from the force of his emotion. “Bellatrix hit him with a stunner and he fell through something Remus called the Veil. It was so strange. It was similar to the thestrals. Luna, Neville and I, we could hear voices on the other side, calling to us, just like we were the only three who could see the thestrals. I tried to reach him, but Remus held me back. Just like that, he was gone. And it was my fault for going to the damn Ministry in the first place.”

 

Silent tears were tracking down his cheeks now as he turned away, not wanting me to see. I chose to ignore that, for I had already seen, and scooted closer, putting my arm around his back and drawing him closer. He didn't resist, just dropped his head back into his hands while he shook with silent sobs. It was obvious to me that he hadn't had time to grieve, and while that was part of the problem, it wasn't the biggest.

 

“Harry, that wasn't your fault.”

 

He struggled for a moment to find words, but when he spoke, he sounded normal. “How is it not my fault? If I had stayed here... if I hadn't rushed in... he wouldn't have followed and he would be alive now.”

 

“That's not your fault. It's Voldemort's fault. Think about it. If you hadn't gone for Sirius, he would have found a way to get a hold of someone close to you, whether it was Sirius, or Weasley, or Granger. He would have found a way to get you there, to get the Prophecy.”

 

His head snapped up. “I said nothing about the prophecy.”

 

“No, but my crazy father spent our few Azkaban visits rambling about the Ministry and the Department of Mysteries and the prophecies. They can only be obtained by those whom they are written about, right? Obviously Voldemort needed you there to get it.”

 

He shrugged vaguely. “I still hate that it happened, and no matter what, it's partially my fault. And Remus... God I don't know how he is still functioning. First my parents, then Sirius. The only friend he has left from school is Peter Pettigrew, and they obviously don't speak anymore.”

 

“Isn't he dead?'

 

“We thought he was,” Remus cut in from the doorway before he strode over and sat on Harry's other side, ruffling his messy hair on the way. I felt a pang at the easy display of affection between the two.  
“That's why Sirius broke out. Since you've seen the Map, and I trust your Slytherin sense of self preservation to be strong enough that you'll keep your trap shut, it won't hurt for you to know. Did you by chance catch the names on the map?”

 

I shook my head and Harry sighed, pulling it out of his pocket. It was still charmed open. And he swiftly spoke the phrase to empty the map. He spoke again, and this time I focused on the print that scrawled across the front. 'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs present the Marauders Map.' I glanced at Remus, who smiled. “Yes, that's why Harry calls me Moony. When we were in our fourth year, James, Sirius, Peter and I completed the map, and by our fifth year, they had all completed the process of becoming unregistered animagi to keep me company during my transformations. After we had our forms and nicknames, we added them to the map.”

 

“James' form was a large stag, similar to Harry's previous Patronus, which was another trademark of James. Peter turned into a rat, small enough to activate the button on the whomping willow that hides the passage here,” he pointed to a passage going off the page, “That led to the shrieking shack. The rumors related to the building are all in reference to my transformations, which were increasingly violent until they were able to join me. The wolf... it doesn't like being alone. It needs a pack. They helped tame some of the wilder instincts. Sirius was a large black dog, looking quite similar to the grim.”

 

“Sirius managed to get a scrap from the Prophet that showed the Weasley family trip to Egypt. In it, he saw a rat, missing a toe. And isn't it a coincidence that all they ever found of Peter Pettigrew was a finger?”

 

Understanding dawned in me. “He cut of his finger, shifted, framed Sirius and fled to a wizarding family to be a pet and tried for peace. So, he must have been the Potter's secret Keeper then?”

 

“Perceptive, Draco. Sirius went after Peter when Hagrid refused to let him take Harry. He underestimated Wormtail, and ended up in prison for twelve years.”

 

“You know, that's been bothering me, Remmy. Dumbledore knew, didn't he? He suggested Peter to my parents, as he wouldn't be expected.”

 

“I don't know. I had not spoken to your parents in a while, as Dumbledore had sent me on several missions of befriending werewolves and they were unsure who the traitor was. Somehow, they decided that Peter was the least likely guess for their secret keeper, though your mother never trusted Peter. I believe that Dumbledore convinced James, yes. And that he knew Sirius was innocent, which is why he never had a trial. Just as your parents will wasn't read. It is too convenient, to unlikely for it to be anyone's doing but Dumbledore's.”

 

“I'll kill the bastard.” The conviction and hatred in Harry's voice shocked me. Remus just smiled sadly and shook his head.

 

“Killing isn't in your blood Harry. Don't tarnish it. Incapacitate him, maybe, but let him live with the knowledge that he has failed. If you must kill, kill the greater evil.”

 

“I'm not sure who is a bigger threat anymore, to be honest.”

 

“Well, if your theory is true, that he was trying to control our magic, I would bet that Tom Riddle was one of those experiments, and that he went terribly wrong. How, I'm not sure. Maybe his magic lashed out and damaged his mind? I can't be sure. But while Dumbledore manipulates subtly, Voldemort murders without a care. I don't have all the answers Harry, but I hope that you never have to kill a man.”

 

“You heard the prophecy, Remus.”

 

“And there are many ways to break a prophecy. It is one possible outcome, not the only outcome.” And with that, he left. I still had my arm around Harry, who seemed in no hurry to draw away.

 

“I'm sorry he's gone Harry, and I know there really isn't anything I can say to make it better. But I wanted to thank you for treating me like one of your friends.”

 

He turned his head and he looked at me with an expression I couldn't read. “Considering all the shit that happened, I'd say you are one of my friends, Draco, thus you have nothing to thank me for. They don't know as much about the Dursley's as you do. I never wanted them to. Though I hope you'll try to get along with Ron and Hermione.”

 

I pretended to think about that for a moment while my heart soared. I wouldn't be thrown away for his other friends. How novel, since Slytherin's tended to have fragile alliances more than true friends. I could still be near him, still talk and laugh with him. Maybe that would be enough to keep my heart from racing every time I saw him. Or heard his voice. Or someone mentioned his name. I can hope, right? “I'll play nice if they do.”

 

Harry smiled at that and pulled away. “Not to cut the moment short, but I think the magic has finally caught up with me.”

 

I just smiled. “Of course. See you in the morning.” I stood and went over to my bed, determined to think about today's events and understand them instead of dwelling on Harry.

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

A strange noise woke me from me sleep. Sitting upright in my bed, I grabbed my wand from the nightstand, muttering a lumos.

 

As bright white light filled the infirmary, I saw Harry tossing and turning on his bed across from me. One moment he was muttering, and the next he seemed to be hissing, speaking parseltongue in his sleep. He had mentioned the connection, but I wasn't expecting anything like this. I stood slowly and approached him, careful not to startle him too badly.

 

As I drew closer, I could see a sheen of sweat coating his body as he thrashed, the bed sheets tangling between his legs. His face was scrunched up in a look of pain that I never wanted to see on his face. I reached out tentatively and shook his shoulder.

 

“Harry! Harry wake up!” When it had no effect, I shook him harder, trying not to wake Madame Pomphrey, but Harry slept on as the nightmare continued. Frustrated and out of options, I grabbed his glass of water from the nightstand and dumped it over his head. He sat up with a gasp, reaching out and grabbing me by my arms. In a flash, he had taken my wand and pinned me beneath him, holding my wand to my neck. He panted heavily as he stared at me with hazy green eyes. I gave him a sheepish grin, trying to ignore the heat rising in my belly.

 

“You know, if you wanted me in your bed, all you had to do is ask.”

 

He blinked at me before squinting. “Draco?”

 

“The one and only.”

 

Harry sighed, shaking his head and sitting back on his heels. He picked up his glasses and slid them on before assessing his soaked clothing. “Why am I all wet?”

 

“You wouldn't wake.”

 

“So trying to drown me was the next best option?”

 

“Hey, if you drown on half a glass of water, that's not my fault.” I shrugged, smirking up at him with my arms crossed behind my head. He was still straddling my hips, though he didn't seem to notice. He stared around the room with a distant look in his eye. I struggled to keep my thoughts in line or he would definitely notice _something_ was up. “Wanna talk about it?” I asked, hoping to distract us both.

 

He started to shake his head, then stopped, biting his lip roughly. Jesus, Harry was going to be the death of me. Next thing I knew, he was laying down beside me. I blinked at where he had been and turned to look at him.

 

“He's angry. Really angry. And...”

 

“And what?”

 

“Draco, I think your father is out of Azkaban. They were in some fancy place- maybe the Manor. That's why I freaked out so badly when I woke. All I saw was blonde hair and... well I had just seen Voldemort cursing your father and telling him to find a way to get to us both. With my eyes being so bad I couldn't tell who it was. I'm sorry I treated you so rough for no reason.”

 

I snorted, amused in my sleepiness. “I'm not saying I mind. They say it's better rough sometimes.”

 

At that, Harry smirked. “They say, do they? And, you wouldn't know from experience?”

 

I froze, and Harry laughed. I struggled to find some defense and just ended up shrugging. “I'm rather picky about my partners.”

 

“Hmmm. In what way? Girls are constantly throwing themselves at you. Surely one must have caught your eye, besides pansy.”

 

“I could say the same for you, Potter. But no, they haven't. Only one person has 'caught my eye' as you say.”

 

“And, who would that be?”

 

Shit, I thought. I couldn't exactly answer that one without being even more embarrassed than I was. Besides, Harry was most definitely straight. And even if he wasn't, he wouldn't want me. “It doesn't matter. They aren't into me anyway.”

 

“And how do you know that?”

 

“I just do.” I stood and headed to my bed, taking my wand with me and extinguishing it before burrowing under my covers. I heard Harry rustling around a bit before the room fell into a tense silence.

 

“Maybe you should just tell them. Surely they wouldn't deny you, Malfoy.”

 

I sighed, not bothering to answer, thinking. _If only, Potter. If only._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are Golden!


	16. Chapter 16

When I woke the next morning it was to a killer migraine. I should have guessed as much. They always came after a nightmare. I sat up slowly, looking around me to find that it was early morning. All I was wanted to go flying, but knew I probably shouldn't today. Sure, Madame Pomphrey could fix a sprained ankle in a heart beat, but it would still be sore for a few days afterwards. So instead, I relaxed in my bed as a house elf appeared with breakfast. I ate quickly and drank my mandrake infused tea before pulling out some clothes that weren't awful and heading out of the infirmary with a quick glance at Draco. The blonde was sprawled out on his stomach, head underneath one of his pillows as he snored softly, undisturbed by my moving about.

 

I felt my nerves growing as I approached Dumbledore's office. If my instincts were right, and they usually were, the man had tried to kidnap Draco yesterday. The thought of my once mentor kidnapping a boy my own age and sending him off to a madman did nothing for my nerves. I stood at the gargoyle in front of the Headmasters office for a long while, strengthening my Occlumancy shields before speaking the password five minutes before ten. I slowly rode the steps upwards and knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office.

 

“Enter!” The man called from inside.

 

I tentatively pushed the door open and stepped inside, looking around the office as usual, taking in all of the items in the office. No matter how many times I visited, I was always intrigued by the knickknacks in the room. I gave a slight smile to the sorting hat, which nodded to him ever so slightly. Fawkes sat on his perch behind Dumbledore. The phoenix was quite a sight to see on a good day, and it appeared that today was one of those. The bird gave me a cry of greeting, and I smiled genuinely as I seated myself across from Dumbledore.

 

“Hello, Fawkes,” I said gently. The phoenix gave another cry and flew off of his perch, surprising me when he landed on my shoulder. The bird had often landed on my arm or knee, but never something as direct as my shoulder. Typically, a bird only took this position with someone he recognized as a master. Owls may make the mistake, but Phoenixes were more intelligent. I knew this was no mistake as I looked up at the phoenix with a mix of shock and awe before stroking the birds feathers. I cleared my throat and turned back to Dumbledore. “I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you sooner, Professor. While Madam Pomphrey is a wonderful Healer, some things simply need time.”

 

“There is no need to apologize, Harry. Your health is a greater priority. I was quite glad to hear that you are putting your free time to such good use. Let me guess, Minerva has brought you some books from the Library?”

 

“Correct, Sir.” I saw his eye flick to my right hand, or more specifically, the Heirship ring that adorned my finger, which glinted in the light as a idly stroked Fawkes. The Phoenix was making a contented sound in my ear, like some strange cross between humming and purring.

 

“I say, that is a lovely ring. Where did you acquire it?”

 

I chose my words carefully. “As Professor McGonagall has assured me I will no longer be required to return to Privet Drive, I went to the goblins on Saturday to be legally emancipated. It was the first day that I really had my strength back, and the trip drained a lot out of me, leading to my exhaustion yesterday.” There. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was enough that I doubted Dumbledore would press it. I hid a smirk. Draco was rubbing off on me.

 

“Ah, the Heirship rings. I was surprised that you did not take them When Minerva offered in Fourth Year, but you did have a lot going on that year.”

 

I raised any eyebrow. So, he would blame McGonagall for his own manipulations. And I did have a lot going on that year. However, if something as Important as the Heirship rings had come up, I'm sure I would have remembered. It didn't surprise me, really, that Dumbledore would rebuff the blame and try to play innocent. I was just glad he hadn't tried to enter my mind yet. Perhaps the Ring would keep him from doing so. So instead, all I said was, “Indeed, Sir. That was a busy year, with the Tournament and all.”

 

“How many rings accepted you? I know the Potters had four up for grabs.”

 

Harry thought on his answer for a moment and decided to try for a diversion of his own. “How would you know that, sir?”

 

“As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I am privy to such information.”

 

“I should have known. Well, as it happens, all four rings deemed me as a fit Heir.” I watched as Dumbledore's eyebrows rose significantly, and decided to press my luck. “It seems that my magic has been much stronger since, though the Goblins weren't sure why. They said that the only reasonable explanation was that a spell had been placed on me. Though they could not determine who placed it, they assured me that the rings will prevent the spell from being replaced.” Let that throw a wrench in his plans.

 

“I see. That is a shame, my boy, that someone would try to... alter your magic.” I caught on to the slight hesitation, as if he was searching for any word but 'blocked'. “And how have you been getting on with Mister Malfoy?”

 

“Well, now that he is on our side of things, and had the misfortune of seeing the state I was in after the Dursley's, we seem to get on quite well. I've found myself wondering why we ever really fought in the first place. I just hope that He and Ron will get along. Hermione will keep the peace for my sake, but with the blood feud and all...” I shrugged.

 

“We will see. I just hope that Mister Malfoy will not stray from our path.”

 

“Well, surely you found no trace of ill will in his mind, or you would not have allowed him to come to Privet Drive, right?”

 

It was then that I felt his mind come into contact with mine. It was more forceful than yesterday, but it still wasn't an outright attack, so I stuck to the same course of action, only showing him curiosity and concern. His mind probed mine, looking for any other motives to my question, but I blocked him, assuring he would not find them.

 

“He was not an immediate threat, no, but it would not be wise to open yourself to him too deeply, Harry.”

 

I appeared to contemplate that, but by this point, I was fuming on the inside. Everything the man spoke was a lie. I had been inside of Draco's mind at his most vulnerable. I knew that he was sincere, and meant us no harm, and I knew that Dumbledore knew that too. He was, once again, attempting to manipulate me. Forcing down my anger, I nodded complacently. “I understand, sir. Is there anything else? I would like to fly today. Hopefully I don't injure myself this time.”

 

“No, that is all, Harry. All I ask is that you remember who your friends are.”

 

I studied him for a brief moment. “Don't worry, sir. I will.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are golden! thanks for Reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! as always, comments keep me going, and Kudos are gold!
> 
> If you like this story, check out my Series rewrite, Serena's Story!


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